The Apollo Home for Orphaned Demigods
by Garie June
Summary: Stop me if you've heard this one: your average teenage boy turns out to not be so average. In fact, he has a few secrets he'd rather not be known by the common public, and they go a little beyond the normal secrets expected at that age. For one, he may not be entirely human...
1. My dad drives me home

**Hi there! This is an idea that I had for a story which I will most likely never continue because I have no real idea where to take it from here. That's okay, though, because I've never been particularly good about finishing stories. Actually, if you think this is a keeper, then write a review, maybe throw some ideas my way, and I'll see if I can keep it going. Really, this is just about a character who's been running around in my head. I really love this series. I've been reading it since I was ten. I am now starting college and my readings are mostly confined to Plato and John Stuart Mill, so I kind of like getting a chance to write about things on a lower level. So please review and let me know if I should keep going with this! **

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><p>No offense to T.S Elliot, but my world didn't end with a whimper. It ended with the good old-fashioned bang of a 3D movie in IMAX, except I was there to experience the blinding pain first-hand. It's not something I recommend. Most eighteen-year-olds get to worry about college, moving out, becoming adults – you know, normal stuff.<p>

Me? I get to worry about staying alive.

Sometimes I wonder if things are better for normal people. I wonder if I'd have been better off not knowing that my father is immortal, or that I have powers most mortals can't even imagine. I wonder if I'd be better off living in an ignorant bliss, not knowing that I'm in constant danger even when I step out my front door. Apollo is the god of sun and light, but boy, that sunny disposition sure skipped my generation. My sister must've taken my portion of it, because that girl never stops smiling.

Anyway, I'll get to the end of the world eventually. You could say my story began a long time ago, maybe as far back as when I discovered that I have a godly parent. I was ten when a satyr guided my sister Kendra and me to Camp Half-Blood. We knew about the Roman camp even then, but my mother has always been very clear about one thing: we do not talk about the "others" in public.

That was eight years ago. Now, I'm fresh out of high school, and I'm still as awkward and reclusive as I was back then. Clinically depressed, according to the shrink. Truth is, camp never suited me the way it did everybody else. Of course, my sister loved it, but then again, everybody loved my sister. She's been a social butterfly since she could talk, and I'm certain she also got my share of good looks. I can't really blame her, but it always made me feel bitter when I was referred to as "Kendra's little brother." Most people never even bothered to learn my name.

I'm done with that, though. I was always better off helping my mom with the kids than I was fighting monsters and going on quests. The kids like me, see. Well, the quiet ones do; the ones who are mostly always afraid. A lot of the kids who come to us are those whose mortal parents have been killed or went missing somehow. It's usually pretty hard to find them. Our auras don't really develop until our teens, but that's what makes it all the more crucial to find these kids before they're found by monsters.

The Home was my mother's idea. Shortly after I was born, she was shocked to hear that many demigod children are left to fend for themselves – at least until the camps find them. My mother was one of Apollo's…less demanding lovers. She never expected to be granted riches or immortality. Instead, she asked to be able to help demigods find their way. Thus, Kendra and I grew up surrounded by other demigods of both Greek and Roman descent.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself: but wouldn't the two camps know about each other, then? What happened to the whole secrecy thing? That's the part that breaks my mother's heart, but arrangements had to be made. By order of the gods, each kid who leaves our care has a small part of their memory removed. Not enough to make them forget who they are, but enough to make them forget that there is another group of demigods out there. It makes me kind of sad, thinking about this rift. I've seen best friends forget each other completely because of it.

Other than that, it's a fairly smooth operation – if you discount the occasional monster attack. And a few highly emotional episodes.

The summer after high school was the same summer as the Battle of Manhattan. I participated with the rest of Cabin 7, and I witnessed the fall of some of my siblings. It was a hard battle, and the victory was pretty bittersweet. It's hard not to feel kind of angry after watching so many people die simply because the gods couldn't prioritize. But I'm a good Greek half-blood, and I follow orders…well, mostly. Still, afterwards, I couldn't help but feel fed up with the gods, camp, everything. Actually, I've felt that way for a while.

"I'm stepping down," I finally blurted. Chiron looked over, his expression one part mild surprise, three parts concern. The rest of the head counselors looked at each other, then back at me. There was an uneasy silence.

"How come, Jamey?" Katie finally asked, her voice full of concern. "You just got appointed."

Truth is, I wasn't really appointed. I just inherited the title of head counselor after Michael disappeared. I hoped that Michael would be found, but no such luck. Not long after the battle had ended, Hades had provided the gods with a list of casualties. Michael Yew was one of them. The only reason I qualified for the job was my age. I didn't think that was a good enough reason. The last thing this camp needed was someone like me in charge.

"I was thinking I'd go back to New Mexico," I said. Even in our informal meetings around the ping pong table, I still sat a little apart from the rest. Ever since last spring, people kept trying to make me feel included, but I still felt like an outsider. Actually, the effort had somewhat subsided since the Titan war. "With Percy's request to the gods, I have a feeling that we'll be getting a lot more kids to look after at Mom's place. She'll need all the help she can get."

This was true, of course. The gods were now required to claim their children by the age of thirteen, which meant that there'd be more satyrs than ever searching the world for these new demigods. I knew that a lot of them would be turning up at the Home for Orphaned Demigods in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At this point, there were only two other people working with my mom, and both of them were getting ready to go to college full-time. I knew it was my duty to help as much as possible, even if it meant leaving camp.

To be honest, though, it was also an excuse. I knew that it was time to leave. I'd spent a good chunk of my last high school semester and the whole summer at camp. I knew Chiron just wanted me to be in a safe place where I could be looked after, but really, all the checks and precautions were starting to get on my nerves.

Chiron still looked uneasy. "I'm sure Will Solace will be glad to take your place, and your mother will be more than happy to have you home to help. Your sense of duty is commendable. Hopefully the end of this war will bring a new wave of peace."

What he didn't say was: Maybe you'll be monitored more thoroughly now that we're not being threatened by titans. Around the table everybody nodded. The meeting continued with run-of-the-mill end of camp announcements. Camp had run a little later because of the war, but it had been fairly relaxing. Everyone was hoping that the big threats were over; that the Titan War was the worst we'd see for at least half a century. Nobody mentioned the prophecy that our new oracle, Rachel Dare, had spoken. For all we knew, it pertained to seven demigods who wouldn't emerge for years.

The meeting was dismissed and everyone went on to do different things. I caught a glimpse of Connor and Travis Stoll sneaking behind the Big House, but a few bad and awkward experiences had taught me not to investigate. Instead, I walked back to my own cabin, which shone so brightly in the sunlight that I couldn't even look at it. Inside, it was empty. I like the inside of the cabin better than the outside. Years ago, a head counselor got one of the Hephaestus kids to build us a recording studio in the back. We managed to fit a grand piano in there, even if it meant that our sleeping accommodations were a little cramped. I have so many great memories of composing and playing music with my siblings.

Of all the things I'd miss about camp, my siblings would definitely be at the top of the list. They were all show offs in their own way, whether it was with arrows, or music, or healing. But we looked after each other, and we had a great time together. I still felt my stomach turn when I thought about Lee Fletcher's death. He was the greatest sibling I could ask for. Even though he wasn't that much older than me, he'd taken care of me from the moment I got claimed.

Really, when I think about all the people who gave their lives to fight the titans, I feel selfish. Silena and Beckendorf were especially painful to think of. They'd both been nice to me from the beginning. They didn't pretend like everybody else. They didn't need an emergency to notice me.

I got to my bunk. I'd started packing that morning.

"Need a hand?"

I glanced up as Will came toward my bunk. I'd already told him about my leaving, and he'd nodded in understanding. I knew he'd do a better job than me anyway. He'd always been good at relating to people, and he was sure as hell a lot braver than me.

"I'm almost done," I replied. I didn't know if he was eager to see me go or not. Nowadays, most people treated me like a ticking bomb. We'd never been particularly close, even if he had been at camp for about as long as I had. He was the type to be surrounded by friends. He was sociable, relatable, understanding. Yeah, he was that type of guy. I was antisocial, awkward, and completely lacking in any sort of understanding. I can't explain why I'm like that. You'd think with a father like mine, I'd be all smiles and rainbows and shit like that. I used to wonder if Apollo had only claimed me accidentally. I was still waiting for him to pop up out of nowhere and say: Just kidding, you're actually Nemesis' kid. Sorry about that.

I closed up my suitcase. "You have everything you need?"

"You mean to be a counselor?" Will asked. "Yeah, I think I've got it down."

"Don't take any smartass answers," I said anyway. I took my prescription glasses off and cleaned them with my shirt. I've had bad eyesight since I was twelve. "And if they give you any sass, sic Clarisse on them. That should keep them in line."

Will laughed. "I don't see why people think you don't have a sense of humor."

I looked at him, and my deadpan expression told him I wasn't joking.

"We'll miss you, though," Will said. "Be safe."

"I'll keep my eyes open for threats," I replied, although I knew that's not what he meant. "Anyway, I may have to come back to visit." I swung my bow and quiver over my shoulder and put the suitcase on the floor, pulling out the handle.

"How are you getting home, anyway?" Will asked. "You just decided to leave this morning."

I shrugged. "Argus is driving me to Manhattan and from there I'll catch a bus or something. I have some money, and I'm in no hurry. I'll call my mom to come get me if I have to. It wouldn't be the first time she's had to drive cross-country to pick me up. Anyway, I can't take the chariot. It's yours now."

Will smiled. "Good luck, then. And listen, Jamey, if you ever need to talk, just…shoot me a message."

Will was just about the last person I'd want to talk to about anything personal, but I nodded and walked out the door, dragging my suitcase behind me. New cabins were being built all around for the newly claimed kids of minor gods. The last day of camp wasn't for another two days, but I didn't want to wait that long. I was getting claustrophobic even standing outside near the hearth. It was definitely time to go.

I said goodbye to Chiron. He offered to get me a plane ticket, and he was very insistent about having Argus chaperone me through the entire journey.

"Let the kid find his own way," Mr. D said, sipping Diet Coke on the porch of the Big House.

"Thank you, Mr. D." I said. As a rule, people didn't really get along with Mr. D. Still, he had been just about the only person (well, god, really) to not pity me in my shitty situation. You have to respect the ones who do that.

I walked up the hill. I'd planned on waiting for Argus at Thalia's pine tree. Of course, I wasn't anticipating the glowing Maserati or the surfer guy leaning against it. I recognized him right away. I'd never actually met Apollo, but I'd seen that carefree smile a thousand times on the faces of my siblings, and I'd just looked into those deep blue eyes ten minutes ago when I'd been talking to Will.

"Father," I said as I approached him.

"Hey kiddo," his smile was as bright as the sun. "Heard you were on your way home. Need a lift?"

I eyed his car critically, knowing fully well that it was actually the sun chariot. It seemed to be in mint condition, and it was just as hard to look at as Cabin 7. It was cherry red, and there didn't seem to be one scratch on it. It was not the way I wanted to get home.

"I'd rather walk," I replied, but Apollo was already stashing my suitcase in the trunk. I knew what this was about. Chiron had pulled in a last minute favor.

"Nonsense," Apollo replied. "Come, we'll have a nice chat. I hear you just graduated from high school. Truly exciting, isn't it? Granted, I never went to high school, but I'm sure the feeling is invigorating." He got into the driver's seat and beckoned me forward.

I finally climbed into the passenger's seat, feeling stupid. Here I was, practically an adult, and I was letting my father drive me home in a car that should've belonged to somebody three millennia younger than him. Seriously, he was supposed to be the mature one.

Apollo revved up the engine, although I knew he was just doing it for show, and the sun chariot took off, flying over Long Island. I leaned over to look at the ground below me. I was a little nervous about the height, but after spending so much time on the flying chariot back at camp, I'd gotten used to the feeling.

"So, any plans for your newfound adulthood?" Apollo asked.

"What, like college?" I asked. "No, not really. I was just going to help Mom out at home."

"Seems a little…"

I turned to glare at him. "What?"

"What? Nothing!" He pulled out a pair of shades and put them on. He looked more like an actor in a rebellious teenage drama than a responsible parent. "I was just thinking, you know, since you were second in your class and all. And you got all those awards from your school. Really, you got pretty far if you ask me." He didn't mention the other stuff that I'd done right before the end of school.

I suddenly felt self-conscious. "How do you know about that?"

Apollo smiled. "Hey, I look out for you, James. You're a smart kid, and you've got the makings of greatness in you."

"Oh gods…" I was about to hear The Speech again. I'd only ever heard my mom say it, but Apollo's tone of voice definitely indicated that there would be a lecture to follow.

"You could do anything if you set your mind to it," he started saying. "Maybe use the talents you inherited from me. You could be a doctor."

"Blood makes me queasy." It was a touchy subject.

"Um," Apollo's eyes narrowed a little. "Okay, well, you're a great musician."

"Not a sound profession in today's economy."

"Really, kiddo," my dad was still smiling, but I knew he was wavering. "Well, what's your heart telling you?"

"It's telling me to go home and help Mom," I replied. "Somebody's gotta do it. Kendra's off to school, and so is Marty. Last I heard we have eight kids at the home, and more coming in."

Apollo nodded. "Chiron's right, you are a very dutiful young man."

"Dutiful," I muttered. Yeah, if it weren't for my sense of duty, I might've joined the titan side in the war. I knew that most people had expected me to do that.

I looked down again. I didn't know where we were, but there was a forest passing below us at hurtling speed. I took my bow off my shoulder and pulled an arrow out of my quiver. I undid my seatbelt and leaned out of the car, aiming for a tree below. We were going fast, but I have a good eye for targets, and even hundreds of feet in the air I could see where I wanted to hit. I pulled the arrow back and shot.

"Odd place for target practice," Apollo remarked, but I ignored him. I was already climbing over into the back seats. I'd done this hundreds of times on the flying chariot, but that didn't go nearly as fast as the sun chariot. I shot a volley of arrows, one after the other.

"Well, you have a lot of talent," Apollo said. "I'm sure there's quite a few things you could get involved in."

"Really, Father, what's the big deal?" I clambered back the the front of the car. "So I don't know what I want to do yet."

"I just want to make sure that you at least have a plan," Apollo said. "I mean, look at your sister. She seems to know what she's doing."

I rolled my eyes. "Since when does smoking marijuana and dating a million boys constitute as having your shit together?"

Apollo gave me a look and sighed. "Okay." He backed down and we drove in silence for a little while. We shot through the flatness of the Midwest, passing fields of wheat and barley and about fifty different dairy farms and cattle ranches. As soon as we hit the New Mexico border, though, the landscape changed to rolling desert.

Most people don't really understand New Mexico. Hell, most people don't even know that New Mexico is actually a state in the Union. I've had countless experiences of going to different states and being asked really stupid questions like: "So do you speak Spanish?" "Did you have to get a passport to come here?" "Have you ever seen snow?" "What's the coldest it gets there? Sixty degrees?"

What people don't know is that New Mexico isn't just hot desert. This land has character. It isn't all just yellow sand. There's the endless blue of the sky above, the rosy tint of the mountains when the sun sets, the blues and greens of shrubs and trees that reflect in the horizon. Granted, I've always called it the Land of Entrapment, but I do love coming home to it. It's like greeting an old friend I didn't even know I was missing.

"Here we are," Apollo said pleasantly. "Home, sweet home."

The chariot landed in the driveway, and if it weren't for the Mist, I have a feeling that any mortal passing by would've had a heart attack. Of course, there weren't many mortals around anyway. The Home was almost big enough to be called a mansion, and it stood at the top of a hill overlooking Tesuque. The nearest house was about a mile down the road.

I was expecting Apollo to simply drop me off, but instead, he took my suitcase for me and walked inside. My golden retriever, Laney, barked and tried to tackle him, but with a wave of his hand, the dog ran off.

The Apollo Home for Orphaned Demigods used to be my grandparents' house. They had it built back in the seventies, not long after my mom was born. After their deaths and a large amount of legal battles and lawyer fees, my mother inherited, added on to, and opened it up for business. At any given time, there was at least one orphan living with us, but we'd been known to have up to ten.

The Home has lots of bedrooms, three bathrooms, a huge backyard, and no television. Mom has a lot of really strict rules. Technology is one of them. It's not just that some forms of technology practically give our location away to every monster in the vicinity. My mom just doesn't like the idea of killing brain cells while watching TV. Thus, kids who come to us learn early on the entertaining powers of reading, listening to music, and pulling pranks on one another, because really, what else can you do?

I followed Apollo into the kitchen, where my mom was very effectively not looking like a 1950s housewife making dinner. That's what I like about my mom. She doesn't give two shits about looking decent, so long as the job gets done. As long as I've been alive, I've never seen my mom with long hair. She always wears it short. She doesn't dye it, pin it, or change it in any way. As far as I know she's never worn a dress in her life, and I don't think she's ever owned any sort of makeup.

Somehow, it was hard thinking about her and Apollo together, especially because Apollo is so well-groomed and I can't imagine him ever doing any sort of manual labor. My mom, on the other hand, doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. We've never needed to hire a plumber or an electrician because she knows how to fix just about anything. Even as I walked into the kitchen, my mom was on her knees fixing the garbage disposal.

Still, I know that Apollo didn't date her for her fixing skills. My mother used to be a musician. She gave it up around the time I started going to camp because she wanted to devote more time to the Home. I can't say I blame her. It's not like we're wanting for money or anything, since we have a deal with the Olympians and all. But being a musician is rough, especially in a city that doesn't support the arts as much as it should. My mom was tired of the politics within the orchestra in which she played. She kept saying that it undermined the integrity of the art.

My mom grumbled a little bit. She reached for the wrench, but she couldn't get it while holding the pipes together. She looked up, finally noticing us, and smiled.

"Baby!" She said when she saw me. "You weren't supposed to be back until Sunday. Can you hand me that wrench?"

I crouched down, grabbed the wrench, and handed it to Mom. "I decided to come back early."

"Did something happen?" Mom asked, and her tone was suddenly concerned. Her face went into Red Alert mode as her eyes traveled to Apollo, who gave her a kind smile.

"No," I said quickly. Best to avoid any bad questions. "I just…thought I'd come help you out."

"Oh good," Mom tightened the pipe and pulled herself up, wiping some grime off her shirt. "In that case, run to the garage and put these tools back while I talk to your father."

Great. That's why Apollo came back. They were going to have a talk, and no doubt, it was going to be about me. I grabbed the toolbox and headed for the garage, passing a few our current tenants on the way. Marty and Kendra were on the floor of our very spacious living room playing Mythomagic with some of the kids. They both looked up when I very subtly tried to sneak by.

"Jamey-cakes!" Kendra said, depositing her cards onto the floor. She was very clearly going to tackle me, so I backed up into the wall and tried not to scream. My sister hugged me for a good minute even though we'd seen each other at the beginning of the summer, and I tried very hard not to kick her. She didn't exactly understand the concept of personal space.

Marty came up to shake my hand, but remembered quickly that I don't like to be touched, so he settled for smiling at me. He was a demigod who'd actually survived to adulthood, but he was the son of Demeter, so none of us really found it surprising. He liked working for my mom because he seemed to have some sort of philosophy about raising children being no different from tending crops. He was pretty good at both, so none of us ever really said anything.

"Thank the gods you got here," Marty said. He'd dyed his hair blonde recently. It looked good. "We just got a new girl who has horrible attitude problems. It's taking all of us to control her, and Kendra and I are leaving for college in a few days. Your mom will need all the help she can get."

Marty and Kendra were both twenty years old, and they'd both skipped two years between high school and college – Marty because he wanted some time to get some money together, Kendra because she's a nonconformist with nothing better to do.

"Dad's in the kitchen," was all I said. I wasn't interested in catching up or gossiping or anything. I sure wasn't interested in anybody asking about how I'd been doing, and if I was okay or not. I was going to put these tools away, then I was going to talk to this new girl who everyone else seemed to have a problem with. Maybe I could help her adjust.

The garage is a separate building. I don't know why people build houses that way, but they seem to think it's fancy, because you see it a lot in richer neighborhoods. I opened the door into the backyard and walked across the sand towards the side entrance of the garage building, which was almost big enough to store an eighteen-wheeler. My backyard fits the desert stereotypes. It's full of rough sand and about twenty different types of weeds. My mom often asked Marty to come out here and do something about it, but no sooner would he have the yard cleared and growing fresh grass than a new wave of weeds would destroy his work.

Still, the yard was big enough to sustain a barbeque pit, a deck table and chairs, a full-sized trampoline, and a fully equipped obstacle course and archery range. We may have been cutting into somebody else's property with those last two, but nobody ever bothered us about it. Through the years, people had learned not to complain.

I opened the garage door, deposited the toolbox on one of the shelves, and noticed a figure sitting in the shadows. Ah, this must be the new girl.

I stepped inside and looked down at her.

"Odd place to hide," I said. "Aren't you hot?"

The girl didn't reply. She seemed to be shocked that I was even speaking to her at all. Seems nobody else had tried that in a while.

"Why don't you come inside?" I asked. "Want some lemonade? What's your name?"

The girl looked away. "No," she said. She sounded young. I couldn't see her very well in the shadows, but she must've been eight or nine years old, at least.

"Hello No," I said. "My name's Jamey. I'm the angry one. How are you?"

The girl faltered. "N-no." Apparently that's all she knew how to say.

"Yes, No," I said. "Sometimes people are jerks. Do you want to hear about all the jerks in my life?"

"No," she said, but not defiantly. She just sounded like she had nothing better to say. The girl actually stood up, ready to follow me. We walked out of the garage, and I got a good look at her.

She was very, very thin, with stringy brown hair and black eyes. She had more than a few bruises on her arms and face, which was pretty common in new arrivals. The thing that most people get wrong is that these kids don't need to be pitied, but they don't need to be treated like problems either. They deserve respect, no matter how long it takes them to adjust. I don't know if I could've ever survived as an orphan.

I led the girl back into the kitchen, catching my parents in the middle of a discussion that stopped abruptly as soon as I entered. My mom looked slightly taken aback when I entered with the new girl in tow. She wordlessly sat down at the kitchen table and I went to dig around in the fridge. We always kept pitchers of lemonade or some sort of juice. I pulled out the pitcher of what looked like blue Kool-Aid and looked at the girl.

"It's all we've got, you down?"

"No," she said, but her eyes shone with interest. I pulled down two cups and poured the blue liquid into each, setting one down in front of the girl. She took it gratefully and began to drink. Mom looked at me with pride, and Apollo smiled.

"I think it's time I was off," Apollo said, but I wasn't paying attention to him. The girl had bits of twigs and cottonwood fluff in her hair, which I began to pick out gingerly. She didn't object. "I have a graduation present for you, James."

He held out his hand, in which a quiver of arrows suddenly appeared. They were solid gold, and they seemed to be giving off a sort of soft glow. It was the first gift I'd ever received from my father.

"Thanks," I said, not knowing if I meant it. Some of my mortal friends had mostly gotten money for graduation. One of my classmates had received a new car. And here was my father handing me his gift like Hey, good luck in life! Here're a few deadly weapons!

I didn't grab for them, though. After a moment, Apollo simply put them on the kitchen table. He looked at Mom, and she came forward, laying her hand gently on the little girl's shoulder.

"Do you want to go to the living room, sweetheart?" She asked kindly.

"No!" The girl said, and I knew that she meant it this time. Mom sighed and left the room. It's not like the girl was very interested anyway. To be honest, I'd rather have been in her shoes.

"I want you to know, Jamey," Apollo said, and his tone was softer, more fatherly than before. "I'm really proud of you. No matter what you choose to do, I'm really glad to have a son like you. You just have to, you know, find your place. You see, when I was a kid–"

I crossed my arms, my eyes on the quiver of arrows that he'd just given me. "Dad, not all of us can slay pythons, or bargain with the Fates, or send plagues to enemies. Some of us are just…normal."

So he hugged me, and it was awkward. I stiffened. I hated it, hated it when people hugged me.

"You'll find your place, son. I know you will." Another way of saying you'll probably just end up washed up and useless.

With that, he walked out. I heard the sound of the sun chariot's engine roaring to life. Not a beat later, Kendra walked into the room.

"What, he's gone already?" She sounded incredibly disappointed. "What am I, chopped liver?" She looked at me critically. "What did he even say to you?"

"Just…hello," I said, because I didn't want to talk about how my parents had been talking about me in low voices, as if I were an inconvenience rather than their son. And I didn't want to talk about the most likely magical gift he'd given me, although to hell if I knew what these arrows could do. Michael Yew had once had a quiver of sonic arrows, although they hadn't looked quite the same as these did. Anyway, I was set to be a babysitter for the rest of my life. Why would I need these?

"What, Apollo can't spare some words of advice to his college-bound daughter? Well hey, at least you got her out of the garage," Kendra said, nodding towards the brown-haired girl, who was currently trying to look as small as possible. "She threw a tantrum this morning and hasn't been out since. She just got here two days ago. She still hasn't even told us her name."

I looked back at the girl. "When she's ready she'll say."

"Uhu," Kendra didn't look very happy at all. As far as I knew, she'd only spoken to Apollo once on a trip to Olympus, and not for very long. It's hard to get some alone time with your godly parent, especially when he has so many other kids to try and make feel special. I didn't count myself lucky, though. A visit from the gods isn't always a good thing. Actually, I was starting to think that there was a specific reason why Apollo had given me those arrows.

"Don't you think it's kind of weird that the only kids you're actually good with are the ones who are just as depressed as you are?" Kendra asked, then she caught herself. "Shit, you know I didn't mean…" I shook my head. She needed to stop talking. I knew she was looking at my arms right now. Gods, didn't anybody in this family trust me?

Kendra got into these moods sometimes. She was pretty weird, emotionally. She ranged from I'm going to tackle Jamey and tell him how much I love him because he's the best little brother! to I'm going to make Jamey feel so bad about himself, he'll need intensive care and year of rehab to recover. I think my sister got a dose of bipolar disorder in addition to the complementary ADHD and dyslexia that came with being a demigod.

I'd spent quite a few years of my childhood thinking that I was adopted. It wasn't difficult to imagine, seeing as I looked nothing like my mom and sister. Whereas they both had black hair and brown eyes, I was born with rust red hair and blue eyes. I didn't even think I was a demigod for a long time, because I didn't have any showing powers. Kendra was born with the gift of music. She picked up a cello when she was four and has been playing like a pro ever since. She was also good at any sport you pointed her at, and she could even curse people to speak in rhymes if she wanted to.

I didn't show any traits of the demigodly persuasion until much later. Even when I went to camp, most people had trouble believing that I was Apollo's son. The most embarrassing experience of my life was when Kendra was claimed at the campfire about two days after we arrived at Camp Half-Blood. I was so happy and excited when the other Apollo campers came to greet her and help her move her stuff into Cabin 7, because I thought it meant that I'd be coming, too. We were siblings after all. But Apollo hadn't claimed me, only Kendra. According to the rules I still had to stay in the Hermes cabin.

I'd cried all night. The other Hermes campers were probably really annoyed, but nobody told me to be quiet because they were all so shocked. I knew that a lot of them started whispering about the possibility of me actually being a mortal who was just brought here by mistake, even if that was technically impossible. For days I prayed for Apollo to claim me. I felt like crying every time I saw my sister practicing archery or eating at the dining pavilion with her new friends, having a great time. Even when I finally got claimed, it wasn't the same. Everyone in Cabin 7 already thought I was a whining crybaby, and my sister was more than fed up with me.

Kendra finally saw that her comments were getting nowhere with me. For once, Apollo had paid attention to me and not to her, and she just had to deal with that. She left the kitchen, leaving me with the little girl whose favorite word was just one syllable.

I smiled at her. "That's my sister. She loves me. I think."

The girl looked at me with a look that said: and I thought I had it bad.

"Alright, No," I said, putting her empty cup in the sink. "We have some time before dinner and my inevitable talk about my instability with my mom, so what do you want to do?"

"No!" I looked back at her, and she looked insulted at my using her favorite word as her name.

I pushed my glasses higher on my nose. "Tell me your name, then."

The girl looked down, embarrassed. I wondered what kind of tantrum she'd been throwing earlier. She looked fairly calm to me, although there was a certain glint in her eyes that suggested a far, far wilder side.

"Eileen," she finally managed, and I hardly heard it.

"Eileen?" I asked. I smiled. "I love that song. Well, come on, Eileen. Let's find something to do with this gift of mine."

* * *

><p><strong>Again, please review if you like it and would like to see more of it. If not, don't worry about it. I have more important things to do anyway. That being said, I am on my third week of college, so if you have any questions about that (especially if you're still in high school and want to know what the transition is like), I can give you advice and so forth. I do live on campus, I'm in the honors program, I'm in choir, and I'm doing some community service projects, so I can give you a whole range of advice concerning college. Also, if you're further along in college and would like to give me survival tips, that's also appreciated. Happy fall! <strong>


	2. I chauffeur the undead

If every monster in New Mexico hasn't tried to kill you at least once, you just aren't trying hard enough. Of course, at this point, monsters were the least of my worries. After all, our property was shrouded by an invisible barrier similar to the one used at camp. But it did make for some interesting trips to the grocery store.

Eileen was used to monsters, from the looks of it. I took her out a couple of times while running errands, and she wasn't at all surprised when a Dracanae posing as a cashier tried to maim me at the Smith's checkout line. She just watched as I pulled out my Celestial bronze hunting knife and decapitated the snake lady. I made a mental note to use the self-checkout next time.

"We ought to get you a weapon," I mentioned on the drive home. "It could come in handy. Maybe a spear. You look like a spear type of gal."

Eileen only nodded. Even after weeks of being at the Home, she still only spoke selectively. She never said more than was necessary, and usually only in emergencies. Most of the time, she just looked at me, and I had to guess what she wanted. It was easy to tell for the most part. I learned to understand my dog Laney in the same manner.

Kendra and Marty had both been gone for about a month. Kendra had gone to the state university, while Marty had decided to pursue higher education in Boston. I missed him more than I missed her. Marty had always been really nice to me. The kids missed them both. I may have been good with Eileen and two of the other girls, but the other kids, especially the younger ones, wanted happy people to look after them.

We had two twin girls of about five years, Larissa and Leda, who loved Story Time with Kendra more than anything, because she'd use different voices for all of the different characters and made sound effects as she went along. And Erik and Peter, who were eight and nine respectively, missed having a manly guy around. The only other boy besides me was Walker, who was currently still being potty trained.

I tried to help out with them, but they didn't really like me. No doubt I was too dreary, which scared them. I couldn't read story books with enthusiasm, and I certainly couldn't fulfill the manly role because I was such a wimp. I was helping Walker with his potty training, but even he wasn't eager to have me around.

The two other girls became friends with Eileen, and therefore, with me. There was Maddie, an eleven-year-old redhead who was going through some sort of pseudo dark phase, because she kept asking me if I had any black clothes I could lend her, and if not, if I could help her dye her own clothes, and preferably her hair. She'd look at the scars on my wrists with admiration and slight curiosity. Not a good sign. Sabine was the eldest kid we had. She was twelve and would soon be taken to Camp Half-Blood. She liked One Direction and sparkles, but she was nicer to Eileen than almost anybody else.

When Eileen wasn't with me or at school, she was putting up with Sabine and Maddie. They often asked me to train them, and I certainly did my best, even though I was really terrible with anything other than my arrows and throwing knives. I carried a knife everywhere I went, but I hated close combat. It made me feel like I wasn't in control of my surroundings. I preferred to be on high ground, where I could pick out my victims with ease.

I spent most of my afternoons shooting my arrows at the targets in my backyard. I wasn't really interested in working out or staying in shape, just as long as I could still shoot straight. I wondered what happened to demigods as they got older. Did their abilities in the battlefield dwindle? I mean, it must be difficult to train when you have kids and a full-time job to think about.

I hadn't touched Apollo's gift since I'd deposited it in my closet. Still, I thought about it sitting in there, gathering dust, and wondered what it could do. I had to convince myself not to shoot an arrow out of curiosity. For all I knew, they released noxious gas that could kill everyone within ten miles. No, I didn't want to risk it.

At the end of September, I was still out there, shooting arrow after arrow, all the while contemplating life. The only time I can really think is when I'm practicing archery. My ADHD goes away for just a little while and I can actually form comprehensive thoughts.

I lost track of how long I'd been there. The sun was starting to set earlier every night. As I shot another volley of arrows, the sky turned pink and the land turned orange and every poet in the state probably started to think of words that rhyme with 'enchantment,' but I wasn't paying attention to that.

No, my attention was suddenly totally focused on a wave of thick shadow that emerged a few feet from me. The shadow soon receded, and two kids collapsed on the sand. One of them, a girl with dark skin and dark, curly hair, was clearly unconscious. The boy next to her, who had a mess of black hair and incredibly pale skin, looked at me with desperation.

"I need your help," Nico said.

* * *

><p>I met Nico di Angelo when I was roughly sixteen. I often spent winter break at camp. When one of Artemis' hunters had led a quest to save the goddess two winters ago, Chiron had asked me to take care of Nico, who was around ten or eleven at the time. I had experience looking after kids like him. He wasn't a very complicated guy back then. He liked Mythomagic and loved his sister, and just about everything I showed him was cool to him. He was totally okay with being a demigod, at least until his sister joined the Hunters of Artemis. It took him a little while to adjust to that, but I did my best to help him. It really surprised me how much he loved Bianca. At his age, I wouldn't have given a damn if Kendra suddenly decided to jump off a cliff.<p>

Then Bianca died. He'd disappeared shortly after Percy Jackson had told him the news. After that, Nico didn't return to Camp Half-Blood until after the Battle of the Labyrinth, and then only for a few days at a time. Given that his father ended up being Hades, it was understandable why he wouldn't want to go to camp too often. Hades formerly didn't have a cabin, as the god was only welcome in Olympus once a year. Sometimes Nico would come to my house for clothes and a place to sleep, but he never stayed longer than he needed to. He wasn't the dependent type.

The next time I saw him was last spring when I woke up in the hospital with him at my bedside. Apparently the cuts I'd made were a little too deep. Mom had panicked when she'd opened the bathroom door only to find me unconscious in the bathtub. I guess she finally decided to acknowledge that I had a problem. I don't know what prompted Nico to show up then, but he'd said something about sensing my death. I'd come pretty close then. It wasn't intentional, of course. Everyone else just thought it was.

I noticed the change in Nico the moment I saw him. He wasn't a happy little boy anymore. He scowled or wore a blank expression all the time, and there was no warmth to his voice. He'd nearly lost his ability to connect to the living. He didn't pity me the way everyone else did, though. When I woke up, he looked at me with a very, very serious expression and said:

"They wouldn't have let you into Elysium, you know."

Never mind the we all love you or the you're too important to die crap. The son of Hades told me I was going to the Fields of Punishment the moment I committed suicide, even if accidentally. I haven't tried it since.

Now, Nico looked ready to pass out. He was clutching the girl, trying to keep her upright, but his strength was wavering. Without a second thought, I ran to them, helping the girl into one of the deck chairs. She slumped, but I checked her pulse, and she seemed to still be alive, even though her whole being seemed to be dwindling between life and death. Her lips were almost purple, and her breaths were short and shallow.

I ran to the door and called inside. "Two more for dinner, Mom!"

"We're not s–"

I gave Nico my oh yes you are look and went back to the girl in the chair. "Explanation?"

"She was fine a moment ago," Nico said. He sat in another chair, clearly exhausted. "We were just talking, and all of a sudden she just…passed out."

I looked at him critically. He had serious bags under his eyes, and he looked like he'd been wearing the same clothes for some time. "Who is she?"

Nico pursed his lips, but the look I was giving him was clearly scarier than any lie he could come up with. "She's a daughter of Pluto. I'm taking her to the Wolf House."

I examined the girl. Healing wasn't my forte, but I did know a few things. I laid my hand on her shoulder and closed my eyes. The girl didn't seem to be hurt or sick. She just seemed to be out cold.

"She'll be fine," I told him. "I'll take her inside."

"I'll–"

I held my hand up to silence him. "What you're going to do is sit down for dinner with everybody and do your best not to strain yourself. Seriously, you look dead on your feet, and you know I'm not trying to be funny."

"I…" Nico looked too shocked to argue. He immediately stood and headed towards the door.

"What's her name?" I asked before he went in.

"Hazel Levesque," Nico replied. He held the door open as I carried Hazel into the house. My mom was in the dining room setting the table. When she saw Nico and me, she just nodded towards the living room.

"Tell the kids to come sit down," Mom said. "She can rest on the couch."

Nico followed me into the living room. Leda and Erik were fighting over a Mythomagic figurine while Peter tried to explain the rules to Larissa. He was getting pretty frustrated at her, because she kept trying to put her Barbie clothes on the Poseidon figurine.

"Dinnertime," I called. There was a bit of a stampede as the four kids ran off. I deposited Hazel on the big couch, resting her head on a throw pillow.

"I'll look after her," Nico offered, and I nodded. He sat in the other couch, looking lost and miserable. Immediately, my black cat Snickers sat on his lap. It seemed that the only animals who didn't hate Nico were cats. I went into the dining room, and my mom gave me a questioning look.

"Do you need anything?" She asked.

"I think I can handle it," I replied, grabbing a couple of plates. It was burrito night. I wasn't sure what Nico liked, but I went ahead and guessed that he wasn't a vegetarian. I quickly rolled a couple of burritos and tucked a couple of water bottles under my arm. Mom didn't question it.

"I'll make sure there's enough for the girl if she wakes up," Mom said, already serving the kids.

I walked back into the living room and handed Nico his food. I sat down next to him. He looked at the food as though it might be poisoned, but he was seriously thin.

"Eat," I said. "At least half."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Nico replied.

"Prove it."

Nico lost the staring contest. I don't joke around when it comes to my kids. They either do what I tell them or I punish them. My wards knew that, my campers knew that, and Nico sure as hell knew that, too. He took the smart route and took a bite out of his burrito.

I relaxed too and started eating. "So, you will explain this to me eventually, won't you?"

Nico's chewing slowed. He swallowed. "It's complicated."

"You know me," I said. "I'm good with complicated."

Nico nodded. He knew what kind of person I was. He'd seen me on the verge of insanity. I had the feeling that he hadn't come to me by accident.

He ate in silence for a little while, and I studied him. He was taller, but just as scrawny as before. He was wearing a black shirt, loose-fitting jeans, and the aviator jacket I'd given him a few years back, his Stygian iron sword at his side. He looked like he hadn't seen sunlight in decades. This kid spent a lot of time in the Underworld.

"She was dead."

I blinked, coming back to reality. Nico was looking at me, completely serious and devoid of emotion. "Excuse me?"

"Hazel," Nico explained. "I found her in the Underworld."

I looked from Nico to Hazel and back, except this time I was openly glaring at him. I take it there aren't a lot of people out there with the power to make Nico di Angelo feel guilty. I could. He looked down, and I could almost feel his confidence crumbling. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." Not off to a good start, but he kept going. "The Doors of Death are open. Thanatos has been captured, and I figured, since she died young, she deserves a second chance, and…"

"Nico," I looked at Hazel. She looked pretty normal to me. Most people probably wouldn't even notice that she'd been dead. "Are you serious?"

"It's just…I felt like I needed to," Nico said, and he sounded desperate now. "I was looking for Bianca, but she's already gone for rebirth. And then I saw Hazel, and…she's my sister, too. She can be trained at Camp Jupiter. I'll look after her."

I knew he meant it, but I felt very, very uneasy. I wasn't sure what the Doors of Death were and why it was important that they were open, but if it meant that people could come back to life, it wasn't exactly a good thing. Sure, some people could've had great lives if they hadn't been cut short, but some people deserved to be dead, and should stay dead.

"Nico," I said gently. "You'd better be ready to take responsibility for a lot of crap if it comes to it."

I think Nico appreciated that I wasn't saying stupid things like I understand and we must all deal with our losses. I frankly didn't care that he'd brought her back. That was his business. But the fact was that now we had a demigod daughter of Pluto who needed to be transported to the Wolf House. To me, that was the hard part.

I noticed something shiny on the floor. I hadn't seen it before, but on closer inspection, I saw that it was a diamond. At least…I thought it was a diamond. I had no idea how it got there, but there it was now, glinting on the ground in front of Hazel.

Nico followed my gaze.

"Don't touch the riches," he said. "They're cursed. At least, that's what she told me."

"We have kids in this house," I said. "Walker will put that into his mouth if he gets the chance." I looked at him. "She summons cursed jewelry?"

"Pluto is the god of riches," Nico said absentmindedly. "If it's under the earth, it'll pop up when Hazel's around."

"That's either going to make her very popular or very, very infamous," I said.

"We could keep it a secret," Nico said. "If we're careful."

I nodded. "And if you can keep her from passing out. I wonder what it is. She's not sick or injured, but she's not sleeping. It's like her mind is too occupied to control her body."

Nico put his head in his hands. "I thought it'd be easier than this."

"Bad words for a demigod." I said. Something occurred to me. "How do you know about the Wolf House and Camp Jupiter?"

Nico looked at the Mythomagic cards and figurines scattered on the floor with a mixture of nostalgia and regret. "My father told me."

Hazel began to stir. Instantly, Nico was at her side, after depositing a very disgruntled Snickers on the ground.

"Hazel," he called to her, taking her hand.

The girl's eyes blinked open, and she looked at him groggily. She looked incredibly sad. Nico helped her sit up. She rubbed her head, then looked over at me.

"Hey kid," I said. "Hungry?"

"Wh-who are you?"

"He's…" Nico looked back at me.

"I'm his babysitter," I replied.

"What? No you're not."

Hazel looked from him to me, totally confused. Then she looked down, noticing the diamond glinting on the floor.

"Oh," she said, grabbing the thing and stuffing it in her pocket.

"Yeah, I hear that happens a lot." I said. "How do you feel?"

"I…" Hazel looked really uncomfortable and distraught. "I was in the past. In New Orleans."

I looked at Nico, but he didn't seem to have an explanation. I made sure there was no one around. From what I could hear, everybody was still gathered at the dinner table.

"Let's go upstairs," I said. "I want to make sure I understand the situation before I take you two to the Wolf House."

"No," Nico said. "I can get her there myself."

I shook my head. "With the risk of her passing out and you having to recharge all the time, shadow traveling isn't safe enough. She doesn't even have a weapon. I'll drive you there. It'll be safer that way, and both you and I can defend her."

After a bit of food and a change of clothes, Hazel was pretty agreeable. She seemed totally impressed by the things she saw in my house. We didn't have very advanced technology, but even the idea of a microwave made her eyes sparkle.

We always kept a guest room made up just in case. Now, the three of us sat on the bed, and Nico explained things more thoroughly. Hazel didn't want to talk about her past, but according to Nico, she'd died around 1942. That meant that the two of them were from around the same time period. Odd.

"You'll want to keep that to yourself for a while," I said. "I have no idea how the Romans will react."

"Have you ever been to Camp Jupiter?" Nico asked.

I shook my head. "We usually only deal with them indirectly. Our job ends when we drop the kids off at the Wolf House. It's not our problem if they survive it or not. Kendra's had to go a couple of times for the sake of organization, but I've never been involved in any of that until now. And in this case, I think we need to appeal to the praetors directly."

Nico nodded. "I've never been there either, but my father says they're very strict and very formal."

What he meant was that they weren't very much like Camp Half-Blood. They decided things by meeting at a formal senate where senators dressed in togas. We sat around a ping pong table and ate Cheese Whiz. We didn't mention that to Hazel, though. Being fully Roman, she wasn't allowed to know about Camp Half-Blood.

"It's settled then," I said, though it didn't feel that way. "I'll go make arrangements with my mom. Both of you, get some sleep," I was looking at Nico when I said this. "We leave at five tomorrow morning. Hope you're ready for an eighteen hour drive."

I got up to leave.

"T-thanks for helping me," Hazel suddenly said, her head slightly vowed. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

I turned back and felt a smile tug at my lips. "It's not like that, Hazel. You'll find that there are a lot of people willing to help you. They're usually in the oddest of places."

She looked up, and her eyes traveled to my wrists. Yeah, they were a pretty gruesome sight, but I didn't care what people thought anymore. I let the image sink in for a moment before I turned and left. I didn't know how familiar she was with depressed people, but I hoped she wasn't too uncomfortable with spending a few days with me.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure?" Mom asked. "I could take her."<p>

"And leave me alone with the kids?" I asked.

Mom paused in her washing dishes. I had a point. Not only would they probably tear me apart, but there was a good chance that Mom would come home to a house full of dead bodies. "Okay, but you hate driving."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll go the speed limit, I'll take familiar roads, I'll follow all the traffic signs. What else can you ask for? It's a fairly straight shot from here to Sonoma. Kendra's done it before."

"I know," Mom said, but she still looked uneasy with the idea. "I just don't know that in your condition–"

"Mom, I haven't had an episode in months."

She pursed her lips. It certainly had been a while since my last bad episode. The only problem was that my last episode had also been my worst.

"And you'll come straight home afterward?"

"Maybe," I said. "I may need to stay at the Roman camp for a little while."

"Baby," Mom replied. "How do you know they'll let you stay?"

"I'm a demigod, Mom, they can't very well shut the door on me," I followed her out into the living room. Most of the kids were upstairs getting ready for bed, but Walker was still running around trying to escape bedtime. Mom picked him up and headed for the stairs. "I'm sure they'll be fine with it when they hear I'm your daughter. We've had about twenty kids go there after living with us. Some of them probably recognize me."

"Perhaps," Mom said, beginning the trying task of putting Walker into his pajamas. "But if they don't? What if they choose to fight you instead?"

"Mom, you're making this way more complicated than it needs to be," I said. "I'm not waging war or going on some impossible quest. It's simple enough. Drop off Hazel, speak to praetors, make sure Hazel gets accepted, come home. I have about the scariest demigod on my side to help me out. Seriously, have you seen Nico? He can scare monsters away just by scowling at them." This was true. I saw him do it at the Battle of Manhattan.

Mom didn't look impressed. It's hard to when a three-year-old is kicking and screaming and trying to get away. She managed to get his pajama pants on. "Well if there's any trouble, and I do mean any, I'll try and send help. But this isn't really the best time to be going on this kind of thing." She got one arm through Walker's pajama shirt. "You promise to be safe?"

"As safe as I can be with two children of the Underworld and a quiver of magical arrows," I said, holding up my right hand.

Mom frowned, but she finally reached into her back pocket and pulled out her wallet. She handed me a debit card.

"Don't go crazy, now," Mom said. "This is a mission, not a vacation."

* * *

><p>When my alarm went off, I had to take a few moments to remember why the hell I was waking up at 4:30 in the morning. When I remembered, I pulled myself out of bed and stumbled around, trying to get my bearings together. I'd packed a few bags before going to bed with enough clothes, ambrosia, nectar, and extra supplies to last for a few days between the three of us. Right before going to sleep, I'd stared at my father's gift. Something told me that this was the time to get it out. I finally decided to take it with me just in case. I'd still use my regular arrows, but hey, these might come in handy.<p>

I put on an old pair of jeans and my Credence Clearwater Revival t-shirt. I found the trigger on my bow and arrows that shrunk them into a very light messenger bag that I slung over my shoulder. I also carried a set of throwing knives. I put my glasses on and glared at my reflection. I looked like a scrawny nerd rather than an intrepid hero. I tried to somewhat comb my short red hair before leaving my room, but it still stuck up in odd places.

I went to the guest room and knocked. Nico opened it and I saw that both he and Hazel were ready. He was dressed in his usual black t-shirt, jeans, and aviator jacket, even though the summer was far from being over on this side of the country. Hazel had changed into a blue t-shirt and a new pair of jeans from our extra stores.

"We'll grab breakfast around Gallup," I said, handing them each a bag. "Have everything you need?"

They both nodded and followed me down the stairs.

Mom was already up, standing in her bathrobe in the kitchen. She handed me the keys to our white van.

"Do I have to take the clunker?" I asked, frowning at the keys. "The AC doesn't even work that well."

"The van is reliable. The tires on the Toyota are wearing out, and I haven't had a chance to take it in yet." Mom replied. "Just stick to major roads, okay? No unnecessary detours, no picking up strangers, and kids," she looked at Nico and Hazel. "You two are responsible for making sure that Jamey doesn't do anything dangerous or destructive. Think you can handle that?"

"Mom," I was getting close to whining. "We'll have monsters on our trail the moment we get out. Define 'dangerous' and 'destructive.'"

"I'll keep him in line, Ms. Sawyer," Nico said with confidence.

"Also," Mom pulled out a generic-looking flip-phone. Kendra used to carry it around for emergencies. Mom handed it to me. "This is only for emergencies. Otherwise, send me and Iris-message every night."

"Every night?" My head was already spinning. What happened to me being an adult?

"Yes, every night. Nico, you're in charge of making sure he calls." She looked at all of us. "Okay, I think that's it. Do you have everything you need? All of your weapons? You'll look after Hazel, yes?"

"Yes," I said, hoping to end this discussion quickly. "Mom, we're already behind schedule. This is standard procedure. Can we please leave now?"

"Alright," Mom said. "Be safe, Jamey. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She kissed my cheek, even though she knew I hated it. "I love you."

"Love you, too," I said, pulling away. She gave Nico and Hazel each a hug. Nico looked a little uncomfortable, but Hazel gladly accepted hers.

"Much luck, dear," Mom said, kissing the top of Hazel's head.

"Thanks, Ms. Sawyer."

I led the pair into the old white van that we've had since before I was born. The seats were covered in rough cloth and leather, and it had a weird musty smell that you had to get used to. The only good thing about it was that it was an automatic, which is the only thing I know how to drive. I got into the driver's seat, Nico got into the passenger's seat next to me, and Hazel got into one of the back seats. The van is big enough to hold up to ten people.

Hazel settled into her seat, but she was looking around as if she'd just stepped into a spaceship.

"You own two of these?" She asked as I turned the key and put it in reverse. "When I was a kid, only about three people in my town had a car."

"Yeah," I said. "It's kind of a big thing nowadays. New Mexico's so spread out. You can't get anywhere without a car. Have you ever been in one before?"

"Only a couple of times." She seemed to be the most enthusiastic of the three of us, and that was saying something, because all of us looked pretty glum.

"This should be simple enough," I said, eyeing the GPS. "We'll follow i40 through Arizona then go north. No problem. Let's get out of here."

A demigod should never be too quick to say that there would be no problems. Sure, it was easy enough to feel safe while flying at seventy miles per hour down the highway. Stopping in towns and cities along the way, though, made the whole experience incredibly harrowing, considering that monsters were beginning to pop up almost everywhere we went.

The first monster attack happened in Chambers, Arizona. My mom always had a rule of stopping every four hours to gas up. I'd never driven for so long, and my butt was dying by the time we stumbled outof the van at the Navajo Travel Center. I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder before going to the gas pump. I pulled out some of my own cash and handed it to Nico.

"Go inside and get some snacks," I said. I looked around warily. Chambers looked like any other highway stop. There was one hotel, one restaurant, and lots of sand. Still, I felt uneasy. "Don't take too long, okay?"

Nico nodded and looked at Hazel. "Come on."

They went inside and I filled up the van. I leaned against it, looking around. We were in a fairly open place, so if any monsters did show up, at least I'd be able to see them coming. Well, I hoped.

The gas stopped pumping and Nico and Hazel were still inside. I pulled the nozzle out and closed the gas tank. I figured I might as well go inside and use the restroom. Who knew how much longer it'd be before we reached the next town.

I was walking towards the entrance of the convenience store when Nico and Hazel burst out. His sword was drawn and he was dragging Hazel by the arm. She seemed to carrying a plastic bag.

"Go back!" He yelled as he tried to reach me. Suddenly, a hellhound burst through the doors and ran toward them. Nico let go of Hazel. "Go!" He yelled as he turned back to face the monster. In one clean swipe, the monster turned to a pile of yellow dust.

Nico ran to catch up to us. I was already climbing into the car and turning the key. Nico pulled himself into the passenger seat. "There's more."

Just as he said that, three more hellhounds burst out of the store. I made sure Hazel and Nico were in the car before backing out and speeding towards the highway. I looked in the rearview mirror. They were gaining on us.

"How's your shooting?" I asked Nico.

"My what?"

"Well, you can't very well stab them from a speeding car," I said, like it was obvious. We were coming up on a red stoplight. "I'm going to do something dangerous," I looked at Nico. "Don't tell my mom."

I stopped the car behind the others waiting for the light to turn green. I put it in park and pulled out my bow and arrows. I pulled myself out so that I was hanging out the window, and about five different cars honked at me, but the monsters had almost reached us. I shot three arrows, one after the other, got back into the car, put it in drive, and shot forward. Who the hell knows what the mortals saw, but I wasn't thinking about that. The sooner we got out of here, the better.

"That wasn't too bad," I said, although that was a very, very close call. "Anybody hurt?"

"I threw my gummy bears at them," Hazel lamented. She passed the plastic bag forward. It was full of chips, candy, and sodas. At least she'd managed to save most of it.

"Well, I hope nobody's got to pee," I said. "Because I'm not stopping this car until my heart rate goes down."


	3. A god buys me lunch

**College is hard...**

* * *

><p>Pretty soon, we started to feel a lot like fugitives. Every few hours, we'd stop the car at a gas station and walk into convenience stores as inconspicuously as possible. We'd guard the doors as each of us used the restroom. I gave Hazel my hunting knife so that she'd have something to protect herself with if it came to it. I was pleased to see that she was pretty good at defending herself. She managed to take on a dracanae in Holbrook on her own.<p>

We stocked up on snacks whenever we could, but by midday, we were all pretty sick of chips and soda.

"We'll stop in Kingman," I said. "I have no idea what's there, but it's worth a try."

"I've never been to this part of the US," Hazel said. "It's so…empty."

"Try living here," I said. Arizona was a lot like New Mexico. Sandy, desert-y, and rough, although Arizona seemed to lack the charm that I was used to from my home.

"Why didn't you go to Camp Jupiter, Jamey?" Hazel asked.

Oh gods, delicate territory. "I trained at home. My house is just as safe as camp is. Plus," I added. "I don't always play well with other kids."

"Oh," Hazel said. I couldn't see her while I was driving, but I knew she was nervous. "What if I don't play well?"

I shrugged. "I think you'll be fine. You're a really nice kid, Hazel. Besides, my problem is just that I feel uncomfortable around other people. To be in the legion you have to be able to work in teams and whatnot. That won't be a problem for you."

"I hope so," Hazel said.

I really wished I could be more reassuring than that, but I'd never been particularly eloquent. Plus, I didn't want to give away more than I needed to. To be honest, I would've preferred to stay home than go to Camp Half-Blood. I've never been a good team player, so I had a few hellish nights of capture the flag.

It was early afternoon when we reached Kingman. It was a fairly sized city with a lot of history, mostly in film and television. I drove around for a bit until I found a place that looked somewhat promising, unless it turned out to be infested with monsters.

I parked the van in front of Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner. The sign itself reminded me of Grease, and I wondered if we'd be forced to participate in some sort of demonic musical montage once we walked through the doors.

"Mr. D'z…" Nico looked from the sign to me. "Mr. D as in…"

I shrugged. "Who knows? But when it comes down to it, I'd rather dine with gods than with monsters, even if they are bad-tempered."

We walked inside. More fifties imagery. A bar at the front had turquoise leather stools in front of it, and the booths and tables all had pink chairs. The painted faces of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley watched while customers ate burgers and milkshakes. An old fashioned jukebox sat in the corner, but it was anybody's guess if it worked or not.

Still, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. Most of the customers were families that seemed to be taking weekend trips and the like. A few couples were doing the stereotypical sharing a milkshake bit. We ignored everybody and chose a table closest to the exit in case we had to make a quick escape.

A very hyper waitress took our orders and disappeared again behind the counter. Speakers above our heads blared Elvis' "Blue Suede Shoes." Hazel looked around.

"How come this place looks so weird?" She asked.

"You mean the theme?" I asked. "Post-World War nineteen fifties décor. See, the fifties was when Americans started getting comfortable with the idea of being a first-world country. Veterans found steady jobs in blue and white collar jobs, women became housewives and the baby boom hit. The average family was popping out five or six kids each. Cars became more popular and families went on more vacations, so highways were built to accommodate cross-country expeditions. Rock-n-roll was popularized and teenagers rebelled the way teenagers often do, so places like these became ideal hangouts for kids who didn't want to be at home. You should read The Outsiders. Actually, I suggest you read a lot of fiction set between the end of World War Two and today. It might come in handy to know what's happened since then."

Hazel looked like she wasn't exactly looking for a history lesson, but she nodded anyway. She was doing some sort of hand gesture like she was fanning herself. "Things sure have changed."

"They sure have," a man said standing over us, and I almost recognized the voice. I looked up at middle-aged man dressed in a really gross-looking purple shirt and khaki shorts. He'd made the sad decision of wearing ankle socks with sandals. He also wore a wide-brimmed hat lined with grape vines.

"Well," Bacchus said unpleasantly. "If it isn't a son of Apollo and two children of the Underworld going on another pointless quest."

"It's not a quest," I replied. "Just a delivery. Mr. D, you literally saw me about a month ago. Aren't you on probation?"

Hazel looked at Nico and mouthed: _Who is he?_

_The wine dude,_ Nico mouthed back.

"Probation?" Bacchus replied with distaste, and for a moment his form flickered into that of a fatter guy wearing a horrifying leopard print Hawaiian shirt. "You must have me confused for somebody else, Jacob Sampson. I am Bacchus, god of wine and owner of Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner."

Somehow the idea of the grumpy, old camp director running a fifties-themed restaurant gave me bad images of him dancing like John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. I shook the image out of my head.

"Anyway," Mr. D/Bacchus said, a Diet Pepsi appearing in his right hand. "I hope you're ready for the trials ahead. You'll find that there is a lot awaiting the three of you. And you," he looked directly at me, his eyes burning with purple fire. "I suggest you get that power under control before searching for the Doors."

I blinked a couple of times. "Excuse me?"

Bacchus flashed a rare, almost insane-looking smile. "I don't usually help heroes, but you three look like you could use all the help you can get." He tossed something small into the air, and Hazel was barely able to catch it. "Enjoy your meal."

With that, he disappeared, leaving behind the smell of fresh grapes. Nobody else in the restaurant seemed to notice that a man had just gone poof, but what else can you expect from mortals?

The waitress arrived soon after with our food, and she smiled brightly as she said that it was on the house. Once she was out of earshot, I turned to Nico.

"Is Bacchus usually so helpful?" I asked, because I knew that Dionysus sure wasn't.

Nico shrugged. "I've never seen him in this form before." He turned to Hazel. "What did he give us?"

Hazel revealed what looked to be some sort of key card, the kind you might use at a hotel. She handed it to me.

"Sparta Inn," I read, then turned it over. "Bakersfield, California. I guess we're going there."

"What? Why?" Nico asked. "I say we avoid it at all costs. If Bacchus is sending us there, it can't be good."

"You heard him," I said. "He's trying to help us…I think."

"What did he mean by getting your power under control?" Hazel asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe he meant my healing abilities? I stink at healing."

"He mentioned the Doors, too," Nico said quietly. "He wants you to search for them."

I felt my insides turn into ice. I stared at the card in my hand, trying to keep it from trembling. "He couldn't expect me to…I mean," my throat felt dry, and I was beginning to lose my appetite. I put the card down. "I'm too old for quests." I looked at Nico and Hazel, who were both looking at me with worried eyes. "Eat your lunch. We'll drive into Bakersfield and see if Bacchus' help is legitimate. If not, be ready for some fighting."

I tried to enjoy my meal, but my mind was swimming. This was supposed to be a simple operation. Drive to California, drop off Hazel, go home. Now it was turning into something far more complicated, and whatever the gods were up to, it looked like I was right in the middle of it.

I wasn't a quest kind of person. There were no prophecies about me; no gods asking specifically for my help. A lot of demigods have dream visions that allow them to see important bits of information that might come in handy in the future, but I rarely got those. These days, I either couldn't sleep, or I'd sleep so soundly that I wouldn't get any dreams at all. It was simple. I wasn't a hero. So why was the universe so bent on making me one?

* * *

><p>After five and a half hours, a quick pit stop in Barstow, and an attack by a group of Venti that Nico managed to destroy while the van was almost going eighty, we made it into Bakersfield. I typed in the address of the Sparta Inn into the GPS and drove to the outskirts of the city. There, in the middle of the desert, stood a fairly large resort. It didn't look like an inn at all. It looked like a movie-star hangout.<p>

We drove into the parking lot. There seemed to be a lot of cars here, and I wondered if this really was just a regular hotel without any magical affiliation. Given that we'd been directed here by a grumpy wine god, I had a feeling that wouldn't be the case.

"I don't know about this." Nico said, eyeing the hotel with apprehension. It occurred to me that he'd spent almost seventy years trapped in Lotus Hotel in Las Vegas. Crap. What if this was the same?

"Okay," I said. It was dark out, and I was exhausted from driving. I could use a good night's rest, but there was too much at risk. "Backup plan time. We don't get separated. If anybody tries to separate us, we come up with an excuse, or if they turn out to be monsters, we kill them. We're here because Bacchus sent us. Do not eat or drink anything unless I tell you to."

"What if you turn out to be wrong?" Nico said, making sure his sword was strapped to his side. "What if this is a trap?"

"Then you get the satisfaction of saying 'I told you so,'" I said. "And we fight as hard as we can. Hazel, are you okay with this?"

Hazel smiled at me from the backseat. "I'll do my best."

We all took a deep breath and got out of the car. Even though the parking lot seemed to be full, there were no people around. "Hotel California" by the Eagles started playing in my head, and I tried to ignore it. What if this was a trap?

As we got closer, I noticed details of the building. It seemed to be built in a strange combination of adobe and Greek inspired architecture, but whoever built it really had no eye for beauty. It looked fine from far away, but up close, there seemed to be lots of fire and war imagery involved. Torches with real fire burned on either side of the entrance, and everything seemed to have a red tint to it.

We walked into the lobby. Although it was cool inside, it was far from pleasant. Paintings decorated every wall, all of them depicting horrifying images of people at war. Roman centurions spearing victims, Leonidas' army being destroyed by the Persians, German concentration camps, Vietcong mercenaries picking off American soldiers, and even some images of the current struggle in Afghanistan were depicted in horrifyingly lifelike color. I grasped my bag's strap, ready to hit the trigger in case I needed to fight.

Nico didn't seem to be bothered by the images. Every once in a while he'd point to one and give some sort of factual remark. Hazel looked very uncomfortable.

There seemed to be absolutely nobody around. The front desk had no one behind it. There were a few television screens displaying the weather and a few news stories. At the bottom of the screens were the words Hephaestus TV. Different signs pointed to the gym, the pool, and a restaurant. It would've looked like any other luxury hotel if it weren't for all of the bloody images.

"This is starting to feel like a trap," I said quietly.

A woman laughed. "Why on earth would you say that, my dear?"

I whirled around to face her, readying my bow. When I saw her, though, I felt myself falter. Standing behind the front desk was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She was young, fair, and reminded me of every super model and actress I'd ever seen. More than anything, though, she reminded me of my sister. Even though her looks were constantly changing, she had the same easy smile and she seemed to ooze the kind of confidence that could drive any boy wild. I could already feel myself hating her.

"Aphrodite," I said. I suddenly realized that we were the only ones there. Nico and Hazel had disappeared. How had I not noticed?

"Don't worry about them, darling," Aphrodite said, her voice like honey. "They'll be fine. I wanted to speak to you alone."

I looked at her apprehensively. Somehow, her presence only made this war-themed cavern even scarier. "What about?"

"Darling, where did you get that t-shirt, it's so…ratty. And those glasses…have you ever considered wearing contacts? They'd make you look quite handsome."

"I thought you wanted to talk to me about something important." I suddenly felt more self-conscious than ever.

"Why, of course, you have so many trials ahead," Aphrodite said as if she were rehearsing a scene from some gaudy drama. "All the pain and suffering. You'll make a few conflicting discoveries. But I'm here to talk about love. Your love, to be specific."

"My…love?" I took a step back. "I don't really do love."

"Oh, but you will, my dear," Aphrodite flashed a blindingly white smile. "You will find love with the most unlikely person. I've already planned it out. Oh, there'll be so much confusion, so much sorrow, but in the end you'll find–"

"Stop," I said.

"My dear," Aphrodite looked only slightly taken aback. "You can't stop love."

"Thanks, but I'm not really the loving type. I don't like being looked at. I don't like being touched. I don't like being around people. I can't even stand to have my mom kiss me on the cheek. What makes you think I want to fall in love?"

"Jamey," Aphrodite said as airily as if I'd just asked her about the weather. "Love finds us sooner or later, and it helps us overcome the hardest of trials. You will find someone who will lift you from your sadness; someone who will see the light within you and cherish you for it. Remember that in its purest of forms, true love stems from friendship."

"Right, friendship," I laughed without humor. "Where are my wards? I want to get out of here."

"My dear, you must rest," Aphrodite waved her hand and three very beautiful black-haired women appeared dressed like hotel staff. "My boyfriend built me this resort. It's a bit…well, it's not too pleasing to the eye, but you do get some lovely views from the pent house. Clean up and get a good night's rest. You'll need it, if you are to survive the trials to come."

With that, she disappeared in a pink puff of smoke. The three women approached me and bowed.

"We are the Graces," the first said. "Goddesses of beauty and Lady Aphrodite's attendants. Please come with us."

I was inclined to say no thank you, but I had no idea where Nico and Hazel were, and I was suddenly hit by a wave of exhaustion. I let them lead me into the depths of the hotel, where we emerged into a large spa room. The Graces ran me a very aromatic bath and offered to help me bathe. I very quickly said no. I felt uncomfortable enough having the three of them watch me undress.

I scrubbed myself clean as quickly as possible as the Graces laid out some pajamas.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked them.

"Certainly," one of them said. I didn't know if they had names or not. They looked exactly alike.

"Aphrodite's…predictions about love," I said carefully, not knowing what else to call them. "How often do they actually come true?"

"Oh, Lady Aphrodite knows all of love," another replied. "She is always correct."

My heart felt like a stone in my chest. "I was afraid of that."

I got dressed, and they led me into an elevator. The doors opened up into a very spacious room filled with big, fluffy couches, a TV, a table, and a kitchen area. Huge floor to ceiling windows looked out onto the pool, and in the distance, I could see the lights of the city flickering.

It was certainly not as war-themed as the lobby had been.

Hazel and Nico were sitting together at the table, both of them looking incredibly worried. A full, fancy meal had been laid out in front of them, but neither was eating or drinking, probably because of my rule.

"Jamey," Nico jumped up, running to me. It seemed like the Graces had gotten to him and Hazel, too, because they both looked freshly bathed and were wearing pajamas that smelled vaguely of roses. The Graces bowed and stepped back into the elevator. When the doors closed, Nico gave me an imploring look. "There's too much love magic here. I don't know why, but I can feel it."

"Venus," I said for Hazel's sake. "This is her hotel."

"Ugh," Nico looked sick at the prospect. "Can we leave?"

I shook my head. "She's right, we all need rest. As far as I can tell there's no real threat…" I trailed off. My mind was still on what the love goddess had told me. An unlikely person, a friend…no, shut up. I didn't want love. I didn't need it. Love is for heroes and people without common sense. I tried to get the goddess's voice out of my head.

"Jamey," Nico said, noticing my expression. "You talked to her, didn't you?"

I sighed. "Go ahead and eat. Get a good night's rest. Hazel," I looked at her, and she looked way more worried than I liked. "From here, it won't take too long to find the Wolf House. Reserve your strength for when Lupa tests you."

I stepped out into the balcony and took a deep breath in the fresh night air. My head was swimming. Two gods in one day, and both of them telling me that I had all of these terrible trials ahead. I closed my eyes, willing my heart to settle. What could I even do? What if I couldn't pass these trials? What if Hazel or Nico got hurt while in my care?

"You should eat, too." Nico said, and I almost jumped. He had a knack for sneaking up on people.

"Not hungry," I said, crossing my arms.

Nico came to stand next to me. At the time, he was only a couple of inches shorter than me. "What did Venus tell you?"

"It was actually Aphrodite, if it makes any difference, and she said the same thing as Bacchus, really," I replied. "Except far more dramatically. Apparently, I'm destined to feel lots of pain, heartache, and sorrow. But you know Aphrodite. Everything is laced with some sort of stupid love story." I leaned against the railing, and my heartbeat almost hurt. "I'm not a hero, though. I'm not clever like Annabeth, or brave like Percy. I've never been on a quest, I've never defeated anything huge, and I'm practically an adult, for crying out loud. I helped with the Titan War, but really, I just got lucky and survived."

"You're selling yourself short," Nico said darkly. "The most important battles aren't always the ones fought against an outside force, but the ones we fight within ourselves. You're constantly fighting. It didn't end at that hospital just because people started to acknowledge your struggle. You're always fighting to find the will to keep going, and you find that will by helping others. It means the world to Hazel that you're helping her, and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Jamey, you are a hero."

I remembered my time in the hospital, waking up to doctors and shrinks telling me that what I'd tried to do was wrong. I remembered the guilt I felt when my mom and sister came to see me, and the shame when some of the people from camp came by. Through all of that, Nico had stayed by my side. He hadn't offered any real words of comfort, but he stood up for me when things got ugly.

I remembered pacing around my little hospital room in that stupid gown they'd made me wear, my wrists covered in bandages. I wanted nothing more than to get out and go home, but they wouldn't let me. I was screaming and crying like a stubborn child. I finally dropped to the floor and wept like some stupid fairy tale princess, and Nico never left my side. He was the only person I'd allow to touch me. I wouldn't even let my mom near me for about three days.

With Nico there, I felt calmer. I knew most people felt uneasy around Nico, but that's because they were too quick to judge him. To me, Nico wasn't the scary son of Hades who emanated fear and hatred and made everybody run for cover. He was still that ten-year-old boy; the kid who never stopped smiling and looked at the world with undaunted enthusiasm.

"I promise I'll get Hazel to the Wolf House, Nico. I'll keep her safe."

"We both will," Nico replied, finally looking at me.


	4. My cousin plays with teddy bears

**College advice: philosophy is a fun class to take if you're okay with never finding the answer to anything. Ever. **

* * *

><p>Aphrodite's attendants had laid out a lavish breakfast for us when we woke the next day. I was actually quite hungry, so we all dug in and then packed some extra food for the drive. We luckily had no trouble getting out. I really would've hated it if the Graces had turned into cannibalistic crazy ladies who used this fancy hotel to attract victims.<p>

Still, I felt better once we were back on the road and out of sight of the Sparta Inn. If Ares had built that place, I was glad to leave it far, far behind. We had about five hours to go, and I was determined to get them out of the way as soon as possible.

I'd sent an Iris-message to my mom the night before. She could tell that something was wrong with me, but I didn't want to talk about it. I gave her a report of the day, happily concluding with the fact that none of us were dead yet.

When we reached Sonoma, I parked the van as close to the Wolf House as I could get it and we got out. Around us, everything was fairly quiet. It was almost noon, but the area seemed to be empty, and with good reason. This was sacred land. Often, the Mist was so strong it caused mortals to simply go around it or not even come near it. With any luck, the same could be said for monsters.

I led Nico and Hazel to the house. It wasn't a long walk, and we emerged onto the clearing soon enough. Over us stood the skeleton of an old mansion. We'd made it.

At first, nothing happened. I wasn't entirely sure how the system worked. As far as I knew, demigods came here to be tested by the wolf goddess Lupa. I wasn't sure if there was some sort of ceremony or enchantment involved. I looked around for a few minutes. This was the right place, right?

Just then, I saw a great wolf appear from the depths of the house. Her fur was beautiful, red like dark New Mexico chiles. The closer she got, the taller she seemed to grow, until she towered over us.

_You've brought a demigod for me to test, son of Apollo._ I felt her voice resonating in my mind, although the wolf herself was only growling.

I stepped forward and bowed. "My name is James Sawyer, and I present to you Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto. She seeks training with you, great goddess."

Hazel stepped forward, trying to appear braver than she seemed to feel. She bowed shakily towards the wolf goddess, and Lupa regarded her with interest.

_I sense much power in this young pup_, Lupa said. _You may leave her, and I will test her._

I looked at Hazel, and she looked scared, but determined.

"Nico and I have to leave you," I said. "We'll see you when you reach Camp Jupiter."

Hazel nodded, and she pulled out my Celestial bronze hunting knife. "Will you need this back?"

I regarded it and shook my head. "If you make it to camp, then you can return it to me."

I was about to walk off, but Hazel reached out and took my hand. I stiffened, and she noticed, but she held on. "Thank you, Jamey."

"Y-you're welcome," I said as she finally let go. She turned and gave Nico a hug, and they shared a short farewell. With that, Hazel turned to face Lupa, and Nico and I headed back the way we came.

Every once in a while, Nico would turn back and look through the trees, as if hoping to see Hazel being judged by Lupa, but the trees very effectively covered the house. Hazel was on her own now.

* * *

><p>"We're going to have to pretend to be Roman," I sighed, taking a bite out of my burger. It was a nice day, so I'd dragged Nico into the park to eat lunch. Nico didn't argue, since I agreed to buy him McDonalds. He leaned against a tree, his sword right next to him. His eyes were closed, and a cool breeze played with his floppy black hair. Like always, he was wearing his aviator jacket even though it was well over eighty degrees out. I hoped this relaxing moment could last for a little while.<p>

"It won't be hard for you," Nico replied. "Apollo didn't change much after becoming a Roman deity. Well, he did become a little more warlike, but really everybody did. At least you don't have to fear any slip ups."

I looked around the park. Couples sat around sharing lunch, kids ran around chasing each other, and overall, it seemed like any other normal afternoon.

"Are you worried about Hazel?" I asked.

Nico shrugged. "A bit. She's strong, though. I know she'll make it to Camp Jupiter."

I ate in silence for a few minutes. I sat in the shadow of the tree, but the sun was slowly trickling through as it fell towards the west. I wondered if my dad had thought about me at all since our last meeting.

"You're coming to Camp Jupiter with me, right?" I asked, absentmindedly playing with my bag's strap. I hadn't shot a single arrow all day, which I found kind of unnerving. Nico was so powerful that every monster in the area should've been flocking us by now, but we were undisturbed.

Nico opened his eyes and looked at me. "Why wouldn't I?"

I shrugged. "Because you like being on the move. At least, I thought you'd prefer to shadow-travel."

Nico blinked. "Would you like me to shadow-travel?"

We looked at each other for a few moments. I'd never regarded Nico as passive-aggressive, but we both seemed to be reaching that point. Still, when it came to Nico, it was best to be honest. "No," I said. "I don't want to be on my own. I'd rather you come with me."

"I'll go with you, then," Nico said, and he seemed to appreciate my honesty. I wondered if there was anybody else besides Hazel and me who could really appreciate his company. I found it comforting to have him around. He was dark, sensitive, and he very adamantly avoided certain subjects, but he was the closest thing I had to a brother. You know, the kind who actually listens to you as opposed to the kind who steals your underwear and wears it on his head. Long story.

"Do you think I should've stayed?" I asked, staring at the blue sky above us.

"At Camp Half-Blood?" Nico asked.

"Yeah," I said. "I feel like I just gave up. Like I could've…could've gotten better if I really tried."

"You've never felt comfortable there," Nico said matter-of-factly. "Not really. It's not that you gave up, it's just that it wasn't the right place for you."

I looked at him, and I knew he knew what he was talking about. Nico had always felt like he didn't belong. That's why he kept moving. I had no idea where he went, but I assumed he spent a lot of time in the Underworld, because he only seemed to be getting paler with time. It was kind of sad that that was the only place he felt he could return to.

"One day," I said, and I looked at him directly, because I was serious about this. "One day, we're going to find a place where we belong. Someplace where we can be who we are without fear, without judgment, and without the gods butting in and trying to mess with us for their own pleasure. Okay?"

Nico stared at me for a few moments before his lips turned up to a small smile. "Okay."

"Okay," a pleasant, yet deadly voice said above us. "Now you get to die!"

* * *

><p>Nico had quicker reflexes than I'd previously given him credit for, because in less time than it took for me to turn my head and see the Gorgon coming, he was already slicing through it with his sword, turning it into a pile of yellow dust.<p>

Not too far away, another Gorgon materialized, crowing with anger. "That idiot!" She screamed. "Giving away her position like that. I'll have to kill you two myself!"

She flew at us, her fingers like claws and the snakes in her hair snapping their mouths. I scrambled to my feet, pulling the trigger on my bag and turning it into my bow and arrows. I shot madly, and before long, the other Gorgon had disintegrated as well. I only felt safe momentarily, though, because the dust pile of the first one seemed to be shifting around.

"Nico," I said, staring at the dust in horror. "That thing about the Doors of Death, does it affect monsters, too?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Nico said.

Okay, monsters could still die, but now they were very quickly coming back to life. Oh boy.

We grabbed our stuff and ran back to the van.

"Those were the Gorgons," I said, climbing in the driver's seat as Nico struggled to put on his seat belt. "We're being hunted down by Gorgons who can't necessarily die?"

"Yes," Nico replied. "That just about sums it up."

"Okay," I said, heading for the nearest highway. "On to San Francisco, then."

* * *

><p>"You'd think they'd have a guest entrance," I grumbled, securing my quiver over my shoulder.<p>

"I don't think Romans really work that way." Nico replied. He eyed the entrance to the camp, guarded by two armed Roman soldiers, although they both looked like teenagers to me. "We'll shadow travel."

"You really think letting shadows spit us out in the middle of their camp will send a good impression?" I asked, and really I had no idea. Maybe they'd find it impressive instead of hostile, and greet us with great reverence and admiration. I doubted it. "Besides," I added. "It's magically sealed. What makes you think your shadows will be able to cross into it?"

"Just trust me," Nico said, which was a fairly tall order, but we were in a bit of a time crunch. Any second now, those two Gorgons would pop up and try to attack us. Seriously, those things were relentless.

I finally took Nico's hand, and I felt my breath leave my lungs. Everything went dark, and I had to remind myself how to breathe. Moments later, the shadows receded, and we found ourselves at the edge of a very pretty, but very old-fashioned looking city, and it looked like the bust of an old man was staring at us with great surprise.

Nico looked around, ignoring the gawking statue. "Where are we? This place looks like Rome."

"New Rome," a very stern voice said behind us. "And who exactly are you?"

I turned, finding myself face to face with a very tall and lanky blonde boy with a very unpleasant expression. He wore a white toga over his t-shirt and jeans, and there were about three teddy bears strapped to his belt. I looked at the stuffed animals, then back at his face, wondering how anybody could look so angry when they were wearing so many toys. He had SPQR, a lyre, and seven lines tattooed on his right arm.

I was at a loss for words, but Nico very smoothly stepped up. "I am Nico di Angelo, son and ambassador of Pluto. This is James Sawyer, son of Apollo and representative of the Apollo Home for Orphaned Demigods. We'd like to speak to the praetors, if you wouldn't mind."

The blonde boy looked from Nico to me with his nose scrunched up, as if we smelled bad. Hell, maybe we did. We'd been fighting crazy snake-haired ladies nonstop since we got out of Sonoma.

"You're not part of this legion," the boy said. "Neither do you seem to have any confirmation of your identities, so you can kindly show yourselves out."

I squinted at him. "Did you just see us? We popped out of the shadows. How much more confirmation do you need?"

"That's another thing," he said. "Arriving here with questionable methods of transport. How do I know you're not here to invade the camp?"

"Because then I would've driven an arrow through you the moment you first spoke," I said, feeling my patience wavering. "We're here to speak to your praetors. Either honor our request, or point us to somebody who will do it for you."

The boy looked taken aback, but finally, he said. "This way." He led us down a road towards a cluster of buildings that stood away from New Rome. I assumed that this was the camp, and it was nothing like Camp Half-Blood. I could see campers practicing battle formations, looking much more formidable than any of the Ares campers had ever managed. Yes, this place was definitely more war-oriented.

The blonde teddy-bear boy led us into one of the buildings. We soon found ourselves in a room where a large table was laid out with maps, books, and a bowl full of jelly beans. Behind it, two demigods, a male and a female, occupied high-backed chairs. They looked to be in deep conversation.

The male demigod looked up when we entered. He was well-built, blonde, blue eyed, and way too perfect to be real. He looked like he belonged in a gladiator movie, his muscled body gleaming with oil and sweat. The only visible imperfection was a small scar on his upper lip.

The girl next to him had slightly darker skin, and her long, dark brown hair was pulled back into a braid. The two of them wore the purple capes of praetors, and they each had an SPQR tattoo, along with different symbols and different amounts of lines. Metal dogs sat at either side of them, one gold and one silver.

"Two trespassers," our blonde guide announced. "They're spilling lies about being ambassadors and representatives, but I believe they're here to attack us."

"Really?" The god-like blonde asked. "Have they made any actual threats?"

"Well…no, but–"

"Then I suggest you leave them to us, Octavian," the boy replied.

Octavian's eyes narrowed, but he turned and stalked out of the room.

"Okay," the blonde said. "Who are you?"

I cleared my throat. "My name is James Sawyer, son of Apollo."

"Oh!" The blonde boy suddenly looked excited. "You're Kendra's brother."

"Y-yeah," I replied. Of course. I survive a trip through Arizona and California and constantly defeat the Gorgons Stheno and Euryale, but my only real accomplishment is who I'm related to.

Blondy turned to the dark-haired praetor. "Reyna, he's from the Home for Orphaned Demigods."

Reyna nodded in understanding. "We welcome you, then. I am Reyna, and this is Jason. We are the praetors of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Who is your companion?"

"Nico di Angelo," Nico said. "Son and ambassador of Pluto."

Jason and Reyna shared a look.

"We've never had an ambassador for Pluto," Reyna said.

"This must be important then," Jason looked from Nico to me. "What is your business here?"

"It is my understanding that you take recommendations for new demigod recruits." I said. "That is how it's done, yes?"

"Yes," Reyna said. "Admission into a cohort is usually dependent on the recommendation of former members of the legion."

"What about a recommendation from a god?" Nico asked. "Specifically, from Pluto."

Reyna's eyes narrowed. "Who is the recommendation for, exactly?"

"Her name is Hazel Levesque," I replied. "We left her with Lupa around noon today."

"And why would a god recommend her?" Jason asked.

"Because she is the daughter of Pluto," Nico replied.

Reyna looked considerably preoccupied by this. "We haven't encountered children of Pluto in decades."

"I want to ensure that she will have a place here," Nico said.

Reyna looked at Nico for a little while, then turned to me. "Can you vouch for her character?"

"She's a good listener," I said. "She has natural battle skills, and overall, she's very pleasant. I doubt you'll have any problems with her." I left out the part about her summoning precious metals if she stayed in one place for too long, and her tendency to pass out every once in a while. We'd have to do something about that.

Reyna and Jason looked at each other, as if they were sharing a silent conversation. Jason turned back to us.

"We will allow her to join the legion," Jason said. "Assuming she is deemed worthy by Lupa, and manages to get past Octavian. Both of you are welcome to stay in the city until she comes."

"If you wouldn't mind me asking," I said. "Why does Octavian have all those…?"

"He's our augur," Reyna said simply. "Being a legacy of Apollo, he is able to glimpse into the future."

"But," Jason said. "Since you're a son of Apollo, maybe you'd like to relieve him of his duties?"

I was slightly taken aback by the request, but I shook my head. "I have no powers of prophecy, sorry."

"Rats," Jason said, but he was smiling in a charming boyish way. "Guess we'll have to keep the guy around. Do you want a tour?"

"We'll show ourselves around, thank you." Nico said quickly. He obviously didn't find this guy very amusing.

"Of course," Jason said easily. "But you can't have weapons beyond the Pomerian Line. You'll have to leave them with Terminus."

I shared a look with Nico. "You guys don't get invaded often, do you?"

Jason laughed. "It's been a while."

* * *

><p>Terminus turned out to be the statue that had looked at us with bewilderment the moment we'd shadow-traveled into the camp. There seemed to be statues of him placed all around the city, and he seemed to be able to pop up out of nowhere if he thought someone was breaking the rules.<p>

Nico and I decided to avoid the city for a little while. I had no idea how long we'd be staying here, but I already felt kind of uncomfortable. Every time demigods passed us, I felt like I didn't belong, and I hated that feeling.

We found ourselves at a hill overlooking the camp. Different temples stood on either side of us all the way up until the Temple of Jupiter. It reminded me of how the original cabins had been set up back at Camp Half-Blood, except there were temples here for almost every Roman god. On our way up, we passed the temple of Pluto, but Nico didn't stop to look at it much. I, on the other hand, paused in front of Apollo's temple. It was decorated with plenty of sun and music symbols.

"I met him, you know," I said, studying the temple. "He talked to me when I left camp."

"Did he say anything important?" Nico asked.

I crossed my arms, staring hard at the temple, as if hoping to receive some sort of sign. "No, nothing important."

We were still standing there when a voice behind us said. "Oh, it's the trespassers again."

I turned to face Octavian, showing him the piece of paper Reyna had given me. "Your praetors have granted us permission to stay here."

Octavian didn't reach for the paper. There were traces of stuffing on his clothes. "Well, if Reyna and Jason want to let two demigods who aren't even part of the legion run around camp, I guess that's their business. But my auguries are showing bad omens concerning you two."

"Augury refers to watching birds and the heavens for omens," I replied. "You'd be more accurate if you called yourself a haruspex rather than an augur."

Octavian looked ready to cough up a hairball. "How dare you insult these ancient practices? You'd be thrown to the lions in the Coliseum for speaking in such a manner in Ancient Rome."

"There are worse things," I said. "When they say you're a legacy of Apollo, what exactly does that mean?"

"It means I'm his descendant, obviously," Octavian said, as though I asked why the sun rises in the east. "My family's been coming to this camp for over a hundred years. It gives me higher standing than any mere child of the god."

"Uhu," I looked at Nico, and he looked ready to leave. "Well, see you later."

"Wait," Octavian said, trying to stop us as we walked off. "I demand to know what your business here is."

"Why?" I asked, still walking. "I can't talk to you. I'm merely the son of Apollo. Not nearly as esteemed as being his legacy."

Beside me, Nico sniggered slightly.

"W-well, of course," Octavian said, still walking behind us. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you stay in this city without proper auguries. Even Jason and Reyna must recognize–"

"Octavian," I suddenly noticed Jason coming up the hill, and he seemed to know exactly what was going on. "Nobody cares. Go cut into some teddy bears or something."

Octavian looked like he wanted to argue, but it was clear that he was powerless against Jason. The last thing he wanted was to make the praetor angry. He was at least three times Octavian's size. Octavian turned and marched off towards Jupiter's temple.

"You'll have to excuse him," Jason said amicably. "He's really annoying, but he's mostly harmless." He looked from me to Nico. "Dinner's being served in the mess hall, if you'd like to join us. There're some nice places in town, but I figured we could talk a bit."

My guard went up almost immediately. "About what, exactly?"

Jason looked surprised, but he shrugged. "Just talk, you know, get to know each other. You might be here for some time, so you're welcome to join in the legion activities as honorary members. Reyna and I don't mind. You can train with my cohort."

Nico looked at me and nodded. "Let's go with him." Although silently he seemed to be saying something more along the lines of: let's learn all we can about these people in case we need to fight our way out.

I nodded. "We'd be pleased to join you."

* * *

><p>I took advantage of what I could. Every day, I'd train with Jason's cohort. It wasn't necessarily that I trusted him, but he was being nice to Nico and me. Still, when I learned that bow and arrows weren't a commonly used weapon in the Roman legion, I switched to practicing with my throwing knives instead. Like arrows, there is no half-assing throwing knives. You had to be on target if you wanted to make a good shot. My right arm seemed to be okay, but when I tried with my left, I was still sending my knives too far to the right.<p>

A week passed, and there was still no sign of Hazel. I wasn't sure how long it usually took for a demigod to make it to the camp on foot, but I did hope she'd make it here soon. On the first night, I discovered that Iris messages didn't work here, probably due to the magical barriers. Instead, I took the risk and called my mom with my emergency phone. After she calmed down, I told her the situation and she agreed that I needn't call her again until I left camp.

"So how come you never joined the legion?" Jason asked one day after training. I was walking next to him as we headed for the roll call. Nico and I had taken to attending stuff like that, just to have something to do. "You would've been a good addition. You still could be, if you're interested."

I cleared my throat. "It's not really my thing. You know…teams and stuff."

"Do you like taking care of kids?" Jason asked. He was wearing his praetor's cape, and he walked with his back straight and his head held high. Seriously, he had a lot of confidence.

"For the most part," I said, feeling small compared to this demigod. He'd told me earlier that he was the son of Jupiter, and for some reason, I was starting to feel completely inferior to him. "It kind of…takes a certain skill set. Kendra's always been good at it, because she's so bright all the time. But I…" I didn't want to get into it. The last thing I wanted was for this guy to know that I was bordering on insanity. "I mostly clean, cook, shop…that kind of thing. I only came here because Nico needed help looking after Hazel."

"How long have you known him?" Jason asked.

"A couple of years," I admitted. "I took care of him when he first found out he was a demigod. He comes around every once in a while."

"Why didn't he join the legion?" Jason asked. We arrived at the place where roll was called, and the five cohorts were already assembling and getting into formation.

"Same as me, I guess," I said. "To be honest, I think he prefers working for his father."

"I find that strange," Jason admitted. "Usually demigods aren't very close to their godly parents."

"Have you ever met your father?" I asked out of curiosity. There were still a few minutes before roll officially started.

Jason laughed. "No," he said. "Traditionally, Roman gods like to keep their distance. Have you met yours?"

I scratched the back of my neck. "Very briefly. He stopped by the Home once. It's named for him, so he takes interest in our affairs." Not a complete lie, but it was true that Greek gods meddled a lot more than the Romans did.

"You're lucky," Jason said. "I grew up in this camp, and I haven't even seen my dad."

I would've tried to offer a few words of comfort, but it was time to call roll and I wouldn't have had anything good to say anyway. Really, I was glad that Jason was being so friendly, but I wasn't sure how much I should be saying to him.

Nico joined me at the edge of the courtyard. He looked like he'd been training. His forehead gleamed with sweat and he was working on bandaging a wound on his hand.

"My sword slipped," he muttered as I watched him work. "It's fine, though."

"Do you need some ambrosia?" I asked, and all I earned was a glare from him. I asked questions like that out of habit, but Nico was very clear about not wanting to be treated like a child.

"You know," he said quietly as names were being called. "If you took off your glasses, you'd look a lot like Octavian."

My eyes narrowed. "…Thanks?"

"Sorry," he said, and he was smiling a little bit. "It's just something I noticed. Family resemblance, you know?"

"Got it," I said. "I just hope being an asshole doesn't run in the family."

Nico laughed, which made me feel pretty good. We stood quietly as the centurions finished calling roll, and the legion was dismissed for dinner. As always, we joined Jason and Reyna and mostly listened to their conversation. I never really had that much to say, and Nico just didn't seem interested.

* * *

><p>"It's been weeks," Nico remarked as we walked back towards the city. We were staying at a little inn near the edge of New Rome. I could tell Nico was getting restless. Reyna had assured us that it could take up to several weeks for a demigod to finish Lupa's training and make it to Camp Jupiter, but I knew that there were several what ifs going through Nico's mind.<p>

"You don't think…?"

"No," I said, trying to sound confident. "Hazel is strong. She'll make it back."

"Yeah, but," Nico opened the door to our room and starting pacing around. "But with those Gorgons out there…"

"Give it another week," I said, closing the door and heading for my bag. "If she's not here by then…" What? If she didn't show up, then obviously something had gone wrong. According to Reyna and Jason, Lupa devoured demigods who couldn't make it through her training. And even if Hazel had survived, she was a daughter of Pluto traveling on foot to San Francisco. It would be a miracle if she made it here alive.

I could see Nico coming to the same conclusion. There was nothing either of us could do. Hazel had to find her way on her own, or perish.

I cleared my throat. "Give it another week. Just one more. I think there's still hope." I grabbed my stuff and headed for the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower."

Nico nodded, still looking lost and kind of sad. I never knew what to say, and I hated that. I wanted to make him feel better. Instead, I closed the bathroom door and turned on the water, thinking. I leaned against the door, waiting for the water to heat up, and remembered that night when I'd settled into the bathtub, razor blade in hand, and my whole brain went fuck it.

I hadn't cut myself since that night. There'd been many, many nights when I'd wanted to. Many situations where I felt so suffocated that all I could think to do was press a blade against my skin and let go of everything.

But I was trying. I was trying so hard to keep myself afloat; to forget my pain and just move forward. It wasn't fair to people if I kept trying to hurt myself. It was selfish, and cruel, and there were other things to worry about…but sometimes I got so weak.

I took off my glasses and pulled off my clothes, hoping to forget those feelings. I thought about Nico, and how he'd react if Hazel never showed. It would kill him. I knew it would. As I stood under the stream of hot water, I tried to clear my mind.

There would be nothing to do if Hazel didn't make it back, but maybe…maybe I could do something for Nico, to make him feel better.


	5. I dream of falling

**I would really love your thoughts on the story so far, and whether I should continue it or not. I have a few ideas that I could potentially pursue, so leave some reviews please :D**

* * *

><p>"Jamey."<p>

My whole body felt heavy, like a big chunk of lead. I heard my name somewhere above me, but none of me wanted to respond.

"Jamey, are you okay?"

My eyes forced themselves open. I didn't feel in control at all. I tried my fingers. They felt like chunks of ice. I tried my voice, but only incoherent mumbles seemed to make their way out of my throat.

"Jamey, you need to get up. Hazel is with Reyna and Jason."

I felt something on my hand, something warm and soft. I finally forced myself to look up, and my eyes focused on the figure above me. Nico was looking at me with concern. It took a moment for me to notice that he was holding my hand. He leaned in a little bit.

"Are you crying?" He asked gently.

My other hand went to my eyes, and I felt some moisture. Shit. It was happening again. I needed to get my body back. I fought against myself, willing every nerve and cell in my body to help me sit up. I finally pushed myself up. I looked around our little hotel room. I was in my twin bed, the sheets and blankets thrown all over the place. What had I dreamt last night? It couldn't have been good.

"Hey," Nico said, and I looked back at him. He looked a little freaked. "What's going on?"

"I…" I cleared my throat. Okay. I could do this. "Nightmare." I wiped my eyes. Crying from a bad dream? No, not heroic. "Um…Hazel?"

"She made it to the gate early this morning," Nico reported, although he was still looking at me warily. "She's meeting with Reyna and Jason now, although they mentioned something about a senate meeting that they want us to attend. Are you, um…up for it?"

"Yeah," I said. My body still felt strangely heavy, but I managed to pull myself out of the tangle of blankets. "Just…just let me…" I stumbled into the bathroom.

When I saw my reflection, I could see why Nico had looked so worried. I looked like death warmed over, which…okay, that probably wasn't the right way to put it. My eyes were bloodshot, my face unnaturally pale, and my lips looked almost purple. My hair was more unruly than usual, and my shoulder was killing me. I must've been moving around a lot in my sleep.

It wouldn't have made a difference, but I splashed some hot water on my face, hoping to wake up a little more. When I came back out, Nico was already dressed and in the process of tying a large black sheet around himself. I would've laughed if he didn't look so serious, and if I weren't feeling so weird.

"There's one for you here," Nico said, nodding to the dresser, on which somebody had placed a folded white sheet. "How do you feel?"

"Ugh," my body said for me. I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. I wanted to crawl back into bed. I didn't feel motivated enough to wrestle with a bed sheet. I pulled on some clothes.

"Do you remember the dream?" Nico asked. "It might be useful. Maybe it was a vision."

I shook my head, covering my eyes with my hand. No, I couldn't remember a thing, only the feeling I got, like I was falling…and a voice in my mind...ugh. I leaned against the wall, feeling dizzy.

"You could stay here," Nico offered. He finally got the toga to work out. It looked pretty good on him.

"No," I said. I cleared my throat. "I want to see Hazel." I looked back at the sheet on the dresser, feeling hopeless. "I don't know how to wear a toga."

I could almost see Nico trying not to laugh. "I'll help you."

As Nico twisted the sheet around me, I remembered just how I felt. When I was a junior in high school, I'd signed up for the school's blood drive. When they tested my blood, they told me that it was in demand, so they wanted me to do some sort of double donation. I figured it wouldn't be too bad, so I agreed. I remembered feeling so cold when the blood was being pulled out of my body. The nurses had put about half a dozen hot packs on my arms and chest, but nothing helped. When they finally released me, I felt so out of control that I hardly made it up the stairs to my next class.

That's how I felt at that moment. I felt like somebody had stolen a pint of my blood. My body felt so cold, and it was like nothing would be able to warm me up, even if I jumped into a volcano.

"Are you sure?" Nico asked again, securing the toga over my shoulder.

"Let's go," I said, reaching for my quiver out of habit. I remembered that we weren't allowed to have weapons in the city. I sighed. I suddenly really wanted to go home.

"Hey man," Jason greeted us when Nico and I walked into the senate building. "You…you don't look too good. Are you okay?"

"Bad dreams," I said, hoping to change the subject. "So, um, what's the meeting for?"

"Reyna figured we ought to let everybody know about Hazel," Jason replied. He wore a white toga along with his praetor's cape. There were several pins on his chest. "You know, just in case. Other than that, it'll just be a run of the mill meeting. Have you had breakfast?"

"I think I'd blow chunks if I tried." I scratched the back of my neck.

"You sure you don't want to sit this one out?" Jason asked, and the look on Nico's face said that maybe I should listen to him.

"I'm fine," I said. "Just a little dizzy. Where's Hazel now?"

"Reyna took her to the Temple of Jupiter." Jason said. "Octavian is going to read the auguries then report them to the senate. With any luck, we'll have her on probatio by the end of the meeting."

"I'm glad to hear it," I said, and I really did feel relieved. I was happy to let go of any scary thoughts concerning Hazel's fate. At least now she was mostly safe.

Reyna walked through the door, followed by Octavian, and finally, by Hazel. When Hazel saw Nico, she ran to him, and they hugged for a few moments. She looked mostly okay, from what I could see. Her hair was a little wild, and there were a few cuts and bruises here and there, but she had all of her limbs and they seemed to be working just fine. Always a plus.

"Let's get started, then," Jason said.

The meeting was comparatively short. Jason announced Hazel's arrival, as well as her parentage. There were a few uneasy mutters from the gathered senate, but nobody objected to her staying. Nico was called up to testify on her behalf. I have a feeling they would've called me, too, but it seemed that Jason didn't think it was a good idea for me to talk. Octavian came forward and read the auguries, stating that they were good, and Hazel was welcome to join the legion.

I noticed Hazel got slightly uneasy while Octavian was speaking, but I didn't want to say anything yet. I was suddenly having images of Caesar walking into a senate meeting only to be stabbed by the other members. Hey, maybe that's why they had the no weapons rule.

When the meeting was adjourned, Jason came to speak to us. He handed Hazel her probatio tablet. Apparently she wouldn't be a full member of the legion until she'd served for a year, or did something heroic. No idea what these people considered heroic.

Nico, Hazel, and I walked out into the sunshine and I tugged off my sheet. I felt silly prancing around in it. Nico didn't worry about his, but he wore it a lot more confidently than I did. He'd actually looked a lot more comfortable in that meeting than almost anybody else.

"I suppose this means you'll be leaving?"

We turned. Octavian stood behind us, his arms crossed over his chest. There weren't any teddy bears strapped to his belt this time, but that didn't seem to make much of a difference. He seemed to be trying to stare me down. If I weren't so focused on other things, it might've worked.

"Yeah," I said. Again, I noticed Hazel becoming a little shifty. "We'll be out of your hair by tomorrow."

"Safe trip, then," he said, but he sounded like he was hoping we'd be blasted off the road or something. "And Hazel, it'll be nice seeing you around the legion. Don't forget what I told you."

With that, Octavian turned and walked off with the swagger of a flamingo with PTSD. I reached for my arrows, then remembered for the second time that day that I didn't have them.

"What did he tell you?" Nico asked, and Hazel looked at him with wide eyes.

She cleared her throat. "Nothing. Can we look around? I hear they have unicorns."

Nico gave me a look, and I suddenly felt dizzier than before. Octavian hadn't really seemed the type to be outwardly threatening. He was more the type to blackmail people. Sitting through the meeting showed me that he was a very gifted speaker, a trait he probably inherited from Apollo. He may have been a twig in any given arena, but in a senate, he had power. Nico was coming to that realization now, and I knew that if anybody tried to blackmail Hazel, they'd have Nico to answer to. That was scarier than anything Octavian could do.

"I'm going to talk with Reyna," Nico suddenly said. "Can you show her around, Jamey?"

I nodded. "Let's plan to head out tomorrow morning."

"Yeah," Nico agreed. He turned to Hazel. "I'll see you at lunch."

Hazel and I walked around the camp, and I pointed out as much as I could. I was finally feeling good enough to hold an actual conversation, and Hazel told me about her training with Lupa and finding her way to camp.

"We were starting to worry," I said. "Did you run into any Gorgons?"

Hazel shook her head. "I went underground. I could see just where I needed to go, but monsters kept popping up out of nowhere." She suddenly pulled my knife out of her backpack. "Here," she handed it to me. "It was helpful, but I don't think it's the weapon I'm meant to use."

I smiled at that. I strapped the knife to my waist, where I usually kept it. "I understand that feeling."

We spent the rest of the day showing Hazel around. Nico joined us at lunch. He'd taken his toga off and instead wore a black shirt with skulls on it and his loose jeans. He and Hazel talked for a while, so I turned my attention on Jason and Reyna.

"I'm going to petition that she join my cohort tonight at roll call," Jason informed me, nodding towards Hazel. "I'm certain Dakota or Gwen will stand for her."

"Good," I said. I'd been training with Jason for a while now, and I was impressed by his leadership skills. He'd be a good guide for Hazel.

"When are you leaving?" Reyna asked.

"In the morning," I said. "It's a long drive back, and by now my mom's probably eager to get the van back."

"And Nico will be going with you?" Reyna asked.

I nodded. "Maybe not the whole way, but I think he wants to get going, no matter where he ends up."

"Well, you know you're both welcome back whenever you want," Jason said, and he was smiling brightly. Reyna wasn't usually as positive as Jason was. They made a good team. She kept his feet on the ground.

"I'm sure Nico will be coming back to visit Hazel," I said. "But I don't know that I'll need to return. I prefer not to be a burden."

"You're not," Jason laughed. "But have a good trip back anyway. And if you're ever in the area, drop by and say hello."

I smiled at this. "I'll do my best."

What struck me about Jason was that he'd noticed the scars on my wrist almost immediately, and it hadn't changed anything. He treated me exactly like he treated everybody else, and I really appreciated it. He genuinely seemed to enjoy my company. I was totally not used to that.

Like Jason had promised, Hazel was accepted into the fifth cohort after Dakota stood for her. Nico and I would be leaving before the campers had to get up, so we said goodbye to everybody that night at dinner.

"Are you planning on coming back?" I asked that night as I packed up my bag.

"Every once in a while," Nico said. "To check on Hazel. That's what I asked Reyna about. She's going to let me stay in the barracks when I come back."

"What do you…?" I tried to find the right way to put it. "Do you think Jason is…you know, for real?"

"What?" Nico looked up from his packing.

"I mean, he's always so nice," I replied, zipping up the bag. "And he doesn't really judge. He's like…I just don't know if I can trust him. I mean, at least with Octavian, I know where I stand. But Jason…" I shrugged.

"I don't think he's that bad," Nico admitted. "Maybe a little too perfect."

"Right?" I asked, taking off my glasses and putting them on the nightstand. "Maybe that's what's getting me."

"Yeah," Nico said, getting into his bed. "It makes me nervous how flawless he is."

"Maybe he's got a big secret," I said, leaning back into my pillow.

"Like what?" He asked. He reached over and turned off the light. We were engulfed by darkness. "Self-esteem issues?"

"Or he's overcompensating." I heard Nico giggle a little in the darkness. We sat there in silence for a little while. "What are you going to do now?"

He was quiet for a few minutes, and I almost thought he wouldn't reply. Finally, I heard his voice. "I think I'm going to see my dad."

I wondered what that would be like, to go to the underworld as often as Nico did. For all the people down there, I still felt that it would be really lonely. I wondered what he did while he was there.

"Listen," I heard him shift in his bed, as if he were turning to face me. "I know Bacchus said something about you searching for the Doors of Death, but I don't think you should do that yet."

I was surprised that he'd even brought that up to begin with. We hadn't spoken about it at all since that day at Mr. D'z diner. "Believe me, going anywhere with the word 'death' involved is just about the last thing I want to do."

Again, Nico was quiet, and I thought the conversation was over. I closed my eyes, but I probably wasn't going to sleep much tonight anyway. I'd probably stay awake and worry all night like I usually did.

"Do you still want to die, Jamey?" Nico's voice was barely louder than a whisper, but I heard him clearly. My eyes snapped open.

I wish I'd known the answer to that. Every day since last spring, I'd asked myself that same question. And every day, I'd simply realize that I didn't know. I just…didn't know.

But Nico was asking me now, and the sound of his voice asking cut deeper than any of my own questions ever had. I found myself really thinking about it.

"No," I said, although really, I don't think I meant it. "No. I don't."

"It's just that," Nico said, just as gently as before. "The way you looked this morning, it just reminded me of–"

"Goodnight, Nico." I cut him off, pulling my blankets to my ears and turning my back to him.

After a moment, his reply came. "'Night."

* * *

><p>We'd been driving for hours, and I was doing everything, everything in my power to stay awake. The sky was growing darker and darker and we were barely past the California border. We'd have to find a place to stay for the night, but we were on a stretch of barren land.<p>

"Keep me awake," I told Nico. We'd mostly just been making small talk and listening to my iPod. I was tired of listening to music, though, so I turned the stereo off.

"How?"

"I don't know…" I thought of all the old road trip games my family used to play. It was getting too dark for I spy. "Um, three questions?"

"What's that?" Nico asked.

"It's a get to know you game," I said. "You ask me three questions and I ask you three. No boundaries, no limits. Ask anything. Hopefully the answer is long enough that we can talk for a little while. So, you first."

"Uh…" Nico looked out the window for a while. By now, we knew each other pretty well, so there was no need to ask things like birthdates and family details. "What's your middle name?"

I gave him a sideways glance. "So much for long. James is my middle name."

"Really?" Nico asked, taken aback.

"Yeah," I said. "Alexander James Sawyer. It's just about the whitest name my mom could come up with. I was named for Alexander the Great and Jesse James, the outlaw. But my mom's been calling me some variation of James all my life, so that's what I go by."

"You don't really look like an Alex. Well, okay," Nico thought for a little while. "Who was the most influential person in your life?"

"Do you mean famous people, or people I know personally?"

"People you know personally."

I sighed. "I guess it would have to be my English teacher from junior year. He had a really fun class, and he looked at writing in a completely different way from what I'd been taught in previous years. I guess I kind of realized when I was in that class that I could actually be a pretty good writer if I tried. I guess my piano teacher was a pretty good influence, too. I spent all four years of high school in his class, and he really helped me become a better musician. My Spanish teacher was also pretty good. I spent a lot of time around my teachers. Most of them actually cared about what happened to me."

"Nobody from camp?" Nico asked.

I shrugged. "I mean, Chiron was always a good teacher, but I was never really interested in the things he taught except archery. Last question."

"Last question," Nico sighed. He stared out the window for a few moments. "If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?"

That one kind of came out of nowhere. The tone of voice he used to ask the question was a little weird. He wasn't being entirely…casual.

"Uh," I actually had to think about this one. What would I change about myself? There were a few very…annoying things about me. Maybe my depression, or my anxiety, or maybe just my self-loathing. Those would be nice to get rid of. But reality told me that they were the things that made me who I was. I didn't necessarily have to be defined by them, but they were part of why I was there at that exact moment. Did I want to change that?

"I'd, um," I tried to find the right words. "I have haphephobia. It's the…the fear of being touched. I've had it for as long as I can remember, and it makes things really, really difficult sometimes."

"I've noticed," Nico replied.

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, it…well, usually it shows up after a traumatic experience, but I have no idea what could've happened for me to get it. All I know is that every time somebody tries to touch me, I…I freeze up. It changes sometimes, depending on the person. Sometimes I just feel like I can't move. Other times it's like there's something crawling inside of me, like ants, or fire, or…" I was feeling really hot at the moment. "I'd like to…to not have that anymore. I mean, the worst part about it is that nobody ever understands. Humans are so dependent on human touch. They shake hands, hug each other, kiss…I can't do any of that. And people just expect it from me. They think it's rude when I don't…" I shook my head.

"But…" Nico said hesitantly. He seemed torn between pointing something out or letting it be.

"What?" I asked.

"At the hospital, I…you let me touch you," Nico said, and I think both of us felt kind of awkward when he said that.

I didn't know whether I should tell him the truth or not. I mean, it was pretty weird all around, but I didn't know how he'd react.

I took a deep breath. Might as well say it. "You're the only person I feel comfortable around."

Yeah, that was an awkward thing to say. Nico was quiet for a really long time before he spoke up again. "So, your turn?"

I was kind of glad for the darkness, because I was seriously blushing. I had a feeling that if I'd said something like that to any other guy, it wouldn't have been the same. I mean, I could say that to a girl, and they'd think it was sweet. For somebody raised in the 1930s, Nico was actually really accepting.

"Um…" I could see some lights in the distance. "Favorite band?"

"I don't really get much opportunity to listen to music," Nico admitted. "The only stuff I know is what you play. I like it, though. I can tell you I don't really like pop music."

"It's okay," I said. "No person of sound mind actually likes pop music. Okay, if you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?"

"My sword," Nico said without much hesitation.

I laughed. "The island is deserted, it's not like you need protection."

"But I'd have to build shelter," Nico pointed out. "And it's not like I'd be staying there for long. I could just shadow travel away."

"You're so literal." I said.

"Last question?"

I couldn't really think what else to ask. I knew he was pretty touchy about a lot of subjects, especially concerning his older sister. But I couldn't think of any casual questions that I didn't already know the answer to.

"What's your favorite memory?" I asked.

Nico didn't speak for a while, and I wondered if he'd actually answer. Maybe it wasn't the wisest path, since he'd been dipped in the Lethe as a child, so he probably didn't have many good memories at all.

"There isn't a specific one," Nico finally said, which surprised me a little. "I…I just remember feelings. Good feelings, you know? Like, I remember how being around my mom felt, and how it feels to know that I had a family. When I remember those feelings…that's when I'm happiest. Thinking of my mom, and Bianca, and even Hazel, I just feel…protected."

We drove in silence for a while. The only towns we seemed to be passing were small and barren. Finding a hotel at this point was probably useless anyway. As I drove, though, I could see the stars glinting overhead, and I got an idea.

"Have you ever gone star chasing?"

Nico glance at me. "You're out of questions."

Without a second thought, I took the next exit and drove down a dirt road.

"Where are we going?" Nico asked.

"The idea is," I said. "You find the spot where the stars are clearest. A spot far away from pollution, city lights, and whatnot. It's a pretty clear night, so I think we'll have some luck."

Nico didn't quite know how to reply to all that, but eventually he rolled down his window and stuck his head out. "Turn left."

I did as he said, and kept driving. Every once in a while, he'd give me another command, and I'd follow it, until we were well away from the highway, or any sort of civilization.

"Stop here," Nico commanded, and I stopped the van. We got out and looked up, and I wondered how Nico had done it. We were in the middle of a very wide stretch of desert. I could see mesas in the distance, and dry earth and desert weeds crunched underfoot. But the real show was above us, in the sky. There were millions of brilliant lights, and it wasn't just bright white against a black backdrop. There were purples and blues and pinks swirling all around, giving us a beautiful, surreal painting.

I climbed on the hood of the van and up to the top. Nico joined me not long after, and we lay back, staring up at the stars. We pointed out a few of the constellations we knew, but mostly we remained silent. Neither of us wanted to spoil this moment. It was bordering on perfect. The night was warm, the air was clean and fresh, and I could feel myself relaxing ever so slightly. I could feel Nico lying next to me, and I wondered why it didn't bother me when he was so close. How was it that I could actually stand to have him so near, when I couldn't even let my own mother touch me? Perhaps it had something to do with how much time he spent in the Underworld. Maybe.

"Jamey?"

"Hm?"

"Can you remember a time when you were actually happy?"

I rested my head on my hands, staring up. "I felt happy around my siblings. Not always when I was alone with Kendra, but when all of us were together, just hanging out at night after capture the flag, playing music and singing together…I loved those nights. I felt like that's exactly where I wanted to be, with my family." My chest started to feel heavy. "But even with them, I've never really fit in. And Kendra…well, she always tried to make me feel like I wasn't worth anybody's time, but that was mostly because she was immature. I think she tries harder now. We both…I think we could both try harder." I glanced at Nico. "I've never had many moments where I was exactly where I wanted to be. I guess that's why I've never felt comfortable in my own home, or at camp."

"How do you feel now?" Nico asked.

"Look, Nico, what I said earlier…" he turned to look at me. "All I meant was…I consider you one of my closest friends. I don't have very many people to rely on."

"And you think you can rely on me?" Nico turned away from me. I couldn't really see him clearly, but I wondered what kind of expression he was wearing.

"You haven't let me down yet," I replied. "That's good enough for me."

Nico shifted a little bit, and I wondered what he was going to say next. Maybe this was a touchy subject, but I felt like Nico should know that he was important to me. Still, I began to fear that he might just shadow travel away from embarrassment.

"Jamey?"

"Yeah?"

"You're my best friend."

That kind of hit me a little harder than I was expecting. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, and I suddenly felt incredibly guilty.

"Last night, when you asked," I could feel my throat closing up, but I could almost hear my therapist telling me to let it out. It was very annoying. "I think about it a lot. I keep…wondering if I could bring myself to try it again." I cleared my throat. "When I did it, I kept telling everybody that I…that it was an accident."

"But it wasn't," Nico said softly.

"No." I sat up, and I felt like the temperature had dropped. This was the first time I'd actually admitted that to anyone. I couldn't even bring myself to believe it.

Nico sat up as well. "What's stopping you?" He asked carefully.

"Well, for one," I replied. "I don't want to go to the Fields of Punishment. Look, it's not like I'm thinking about it all the time. I want to get better. I want to…to not be this…this freak anymore. I don't want people to treat me like I'm going to explode all the time. You know, I look at my sister, and she's so fucking perfect." I shook my head. "She's smart, confident, she makes people feel good, and she doesn't need to hurt herself to..." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "All my life, I've felt like I just don't belong anywhere. Like I shouldn't be alive."

I was suddenly enveloped in warmth, and I was so surprised that I really didn't know how to react. I couldn't remember another moment in my life when I'd been hugged without my freezing up. Nico's arms were around my neck, and after a moment I put my arms around him as well. I'd never enjoyed a hug before, but now…I guess now I understood why people craved human touch so much. I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring it. We'd probably look back on this and regret it, but right now, it just felt good to have someone there.

"I can't tell you what to do, Jamey," Nico whispered. "But I don't want to lose you, too."

Gods, I felt guilty. Nico didn't have many people to count on either, and then he told me that I was his best friend. I felt selfish and stupid for even thinking about killing myself. I began to understand how my mother must've felt watching me slip away like that. I took a deep breath and pulled away.

"Let's try to focus on more immediate problems," I said, looking around. "We should find a place to stay tonight. Do you, um, know where we are?"

"I have no idea," Nico replied. "Why?"

"Because I think I know where we can stay tonight." I said. I got into the van, and Nico followed. I checked our location on the GPS. We were about an hour out of Phoenix. I started the van and got back onto the main road, heading south. I asked Nico to get the emergency phone out of my bag, then gave him a number to type in. He put it on speaker.

"Hello?" A girl's voice spoke through the speakers of the flip phone.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" I asked.

The girl paused before answering. "Jamey?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Darla, it's the tooth fairy."

Darla seemed to click her tongue. "What are you doing calling me over the phone? Where are you?"

"I'm about forty minutes out of Phoenix," I replied, just having passed a mile marker. "We need a place to stay tonight."

"Seriously?" Darla asked. "You're in Arizona? What the hell are you doing out here? And who's we?"

"My friend Nico and me," I replied. "We're just passing through. We're on our way back to Santa Fe."

"Well, you're welcome to come here," Darla replied. "You'll have to crash on the couch, but you don't mind, do you? We really need to catch up. I haven't seen you since, what, that time in New York?"

"We'll have to talk when I get there," I said. "Monsters in the dark and all."

"No problem," Darla said. "See you in a bit."

Nico closed the phone and looked at me. "Friend of yours?"

"Yeah," I replied. "We grew up together. She and my friend Mariah came out here for college. The plan had been that the three of us would get a place together and go to school, but obviously…" I shrugged. "I decided to kind of…postpone my pursuit of higher education. Anyway, Darla's studying to be a tattoo artist. She's really good. I'm sure you must've met them at camp."

"So they're demigods too?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Mariah's a daughter of Hermes, and Darla's a daughter of Aphrodite."

Even though it was dark, I could almost see Nico cringing.

"Don't worry," I said, smiling. "She's not your…average daughter of love. You'll see when we get there."

The van's gas tank was almost empty by the time we made it to the apartment complex where Darla and Mariah were living. Nico and I got out, and we climbed the stairs and knocked on the door. There was some shuffling inside, and then the door opened. Two college girls stood on the other side, smiling brightly. One of them had dark skin and a huge, pouffy cloud of curly brown hair. She was as skinny as a twig, so she resembled a bunch of broccoli. The other girl was heavier, with her dyed black hair tucked into a pink bandana. She had small gauges in both ears and a nose piercing. They were both already in their pajamas.

"Come in," the one with black hair, Darla, said. She had a very bright smile, and even in her Hello Kitty nightgown she was the perfect hostess. "You guys look exhausted. Are you hungry? We heated up some food for y'all. We put some blankets on the couch, so you're all set."

"Darla," I said. "This is Nico di Angelo."

"Son of Hades, right?" Mariah said. Her pajamas consisted of a ratty t-shirt with the words _don't shoot the messenger _written on it, as well as bright green shorts. "We were bunkmates in the Hermes cabin, remember? Sweet shadow powers, dude."

"Thanks," Nico replied, clearly surprised that they'd remembered him.

"So what's your deal?" Darla asked. We sat in their small kitchen and ate. They were paying for this apartment through a combination of income and parental help, so it wasn't much. It had two bedrooms, a tiny kitchen/dining room, one bathroom, and a small living room with two couches and a small television. Still, they kept it clean and very homey. Darla was very good at interior decorating.

"Just…driving home," I said. Given that they were Greek, I couldn't tell them about Hazel or the Roman camp. So what excuse could I give for driving through Arizona in the middle of the night?

"Jamey came to get me from California," Nico explained. "I needed a lift."

I wasn't sure whether or not the girls could see through his lie, but Mariah smiled. "That was nice of you, Jamey."

"Oh," Darla suddenly jumped up. "I'm so glad you're here, Jamey. I have to show you something." She ran off.

"Probably the scrapbook," Mariah explained. "She worked on it all summer, but she never got the chance to show you."

"Gosh, pictures of me in high school," I scratched the back of my neck. "Maybe I'm better off not seeing."

"It's more than high school," Mariah laughed. "We thought it would be good seeing how all of us grew."

"So you guys went to school together?" Nico asked, and I seriously hoped he wasn't feeling like an outsider. Mariah, Darla and I had been going to the same schools since we were in kindergarten. They weren't part of the Home or anything, they'd just lived in the same area. By some amazing miracle, all of us managed to stay out of trouble long enough to make it through. That isn't to say that there weren't a few close calls. There were some embarrassing times when Darla had had to explain how she'd managed to talk her teachers into giving her good grades. And Mariah was kind of a compulsive thief, but she never took anything important. And me…well, I just got my head shoved into the toilet a lot, and I started seeing counsellors early on because I kept showing up with cuts on my arms.

"Here it is," Darla sang, coming back into the room. I noticed something on her foot that I hadn't seen before.

"You got a tattoo?" I asked, looking at it closely. It was of a dark blue dove with pink highlights standing on a branch that twisted itself to look like a half heart.

"I designed it," Darla said. "It's the one I liked best, and I'm eighteen now, so I can actually get the tattoos I want." She set a large scrapbook down.

"It looks good," I said.

"Look," Mariah lifted her shirt enough to expose her rib cage. She had a colorful mandala tattooed on her left side, just below her right breast. "Darla designed mine, too. Pretty, huh?"

"That's awesome," I said. There was a lotus flower in the middle, and the colors were vibrant and beautiful.

"I should design one for you, Jamey. Maybe a cool-looking arrow or something," Darla said.

"Oh no," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't think that's stereotypical enough. Why not add a lyre and a stupid quote about light while we're at it?"

"Ye have little faith. So Nico," Darla said, opening the book to the first page. "You get to see how much of a nerd Jamey was when he was a kid."

"I never stopped being a nerd," I grumbled.

"You were a cute kid, though," Mariah said, pointing to a picture of me as a three-year-old standing by the arroyo near my house. My hair was brighter then, but just as crazy.

"You guys are worse than my mom," I said, feeling heat rising to my cheeks. The pictures progressed to the three of us at Mariah's birthday party, me performing in the school's talent show, Darla drawing silly squiggles all over Mariah's arms and legs. As I saw these pictures, memories flooded back. These were taken before I understood that I was a demigod. All of us had been oblivious of our true identity then. I noticed that even though I looked somewhat teary eyed in a few of the shots, I looked considerably happier.

The pictures changed to middle school, when I was in the habit of wearing long sleeves no matter what the temperature was. There was a shot of me with my first pair of glasses. I looked more serious in these photographs, like I'd suddenly decided not to be a kid anymore.

Then the shots turned into my high school days. In every picture, I was thin, lanky, awkward, and shorter than all of the other guys my age. From the beginning of freshman year to the end of sophomore year, my teeth were confined to braces. In most of the pictures, I was either wearing a forced smile or no smile at all.

The one picture in which I really looked happy was taken on Valentine's Day my junior year. From what I remembered of that day, none of us wanted to be those stereotypical single people who complained all the time, so we'd decided to go out to dinner as a group. The picture featured the three of us smiling into the camera with chicken wings and sodas littering the table. The light in the shot was warm, and we all looked relaxed, like we weren't trying to force ourselves into having a good time. We just were.

The rest were more typical pictures of high school. Mariah trying to teach me how to ice skate; the three of us at an amusement park; me playing my guitar. There were a few pictures from senior prom that I really didn't want to look at. It wasn't just that I looked like a dork in my black and gold suit, but prom had happened the week before I'd tried to kill myself, and I hated remembering such a dark time.

"Oh, Nico," Darla suddenly exclaimed. They'd mostly been giving general commentary on what was what and so on. "I forgot that there's a picture of you here, too."

I looked at the picture she was pointing to, and I felt incredibly surprised. It was a picture of me in my hospital bed. There I was leaning back into my pillow, looking pale and mad, and flipping off the person taking the picture. Yeah, real mature. Nico was sitting in a chair next to me, looking very uncomfortable, like he wasn't sure why there was a camera being pointed at him. I remembered that moment. Kendra had taken this picture, although I wasn't entirely clear on why.

"How did you get this?" I asked.

"I told Kendra I was making a scrapbook for graduation," Darla said, and she sounded kind of apologetic. "I asked her if she had any embarrassing photos of you, and she gave me this one. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have…"

"It's fine," I said quickly. I finished looking through the book, but after that there were only graduation pictures amidst a few generic growing up quotes. I'd missed my graduation because I'd been sent to camp early. Really, it was kind of amazing that I got out of high school, given my condition. But Darla and Mariah looked good in their black and red caps and gowns. There was a picture of Darla with her dad and stepmom, and another one of Mariah with her mother and brothers. I really wished I could've been there. If I hadn't been so unstable, I would've been allowed to give the Salutatorian speech. Instead, the speech went to the girl who was third in our class. Apparently all of the speeches had been pretty terrible.

Darla and Mariah talked about college. Darla was at an art institute, while Mariah was studying psychology at a state university. They both had a lot of complaints, but mostly it seemed like they were really enjoying themselves.

"Do you guys get attacked a lot?" Nico asked.

"Sometimes," Mariah replied. "We mostly get a lot of Hellhounds on this side of the country, but we're pretty cautious all around."

"So you're not going back to camp, then?" Darla asked both of us, and we shook our heads.

"That's too bad," Mariah said. "But it's getting so crowded there now. I hear they're still getting more and more campers."

"Well, at least the gods are following through with their promise," I said. "Although I doubt they appreciated being schooled by a demigod."

"It's about time they did it, though," Darla said. "I mean, I'm not saying that what Luke did was right, but there were so many demigods who never made it to camp, or the Home. A lot of them were just left to die on their own."

We all shifted uncomfortably. Demigods know not to talk badly of their godly parents, but these were sentiments shared by a lot of us. I was one of the lucky ones. My mother had known all along that I'd need to go to camp sooner or later. There are some, though, that never make it there because they have no idea, or they don't make it in time. They're simply picked off by monsters.

"Well, no one ever tried to tell us our lives would be easy," Mariah said. "We didn't choose to be this way, but we pay for it anyway."

I looked down, my arms crossed over my chest. Nico looked the same way I felt. No, we didn't choose to be born demigods, just like we didn't choose our race, gender, sexual orientation, or anything like that. The only difference was that our being born was really the gods' fault. They could easily stop having children, and many would be saved from the suffering involved with being a demigod. Sometimes I felt that the gods were just really fucking selfish.

"There it is, then," I said, standing up. "We're all cursed regardless of how hard we try to get away. Life sucks and then you die. Where's your restroom?"

"At the end of the hall," Darla said.

"I'm going to bed, then," Mariah stood up. "We'll talk more in the morning. We've missed you, Jamey."

I smiled at her. "I've missed you guys, too."

I grabbed my bag and went to change into my pjs. Nico was waiting outside with his stuff when I came out.

"You're okay with staying here, right?" I asked.

He nodded. "I like them. They're nice."

He went into the bathroom and closed the door. Mariah was already in her room, but Darla was in the kitchen cleaning up.

"I met your mom," I said softly. I didn't want anybody else to hear. I was still uncomfortable with the whole ordeal, even if it had happened weeks ago.

"Seriously?" Darla laughed a little. "What, did she tell you about some horrid, tragic love story she's planning for you?"

"Essentially, yes," I replied. "She told me," I sighed, shaking my head. "She told me I'm going to fall for somebody and it's going to be complicated and confusing."

"Really?" Darla actually looked shocked at this. "You, Jamey, are going to fall for somebody? Like, you're actually going to fall in love with another human being? That's a miracle."

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, maybe it won't be with a human being. She did say it'd be complicated."

"So, what, you're going to fall in love with like a harpy or something?" Darla asked.

"Well, she said it'd be a friend of mine." I leaned against the wall. "She didn't really specify. I just…I don't know. She made it seem like it was important."

"Well, it's Aphrodite," Darla replied, walking past me into the living room. Both couches had blankets and pillows on them. "To her the only important things are love and heartbreak. Did she say you'd be falling for a girl?"

"Why…wouldn't it be a girl?" I asked. Darla looked at me, raising an eyebrow. I suddenly blushed furiously. "You…you don't think–?"

"Hey, I'm not saying anything." Darla lifted her hands in a pacifying gesture. "But this is Aphrodite we're talking about, and if any of the gods like screwing with people's emotions, it's her."

"Yeah, but," I shook my head. "I don't remember a single time when I've actually been attracted to anybody, boy or girl. I mean, I can acknowledge that people are good-looking, but…"

I closed my mouth when I heard the toilet flushing. Nico came out of the bathroom and looked at me, then at the couches. "I'll take the smaller one, then." he said.

Darla smiled knowingly. "We'll talk more in the morning. We have lots to discuss. Goodnight boys." She went to her own room and shut the door.

Nico looked at me. "What were you guys talking about?"

I cleared my throat. "Just…stuff. It's late. We should probably go to sleep. I'll call my mom in the morning before we leave." I went to the couch and put the blankets on, then reached over and turned off the only lamp that was on. "'Night."

"'Night," Nico replied, although he didn't sound satisfied.

* * *

><p>That night, I dreamt about falling. Not much else happened in the dream. I was just falling and falling forever. My subconscious kept telling me to spread my wings. <em>They'll help you fly<em>, a voice like iron in my mind kept saying. _Wings will help you fly! _I feel like if I'd slept longer, I might've hit the bottom, but I was suddenly shaken awake. I sat up with a bolt, almost reaching for my bow, when I remembered where I was.

Darla was standing over me, looking worried. "Nico's gone."

"Gone?" I asked, still a little disoriented. "Gone where?"

Darla shrugged. "I came out to make breakfast, and he was gone. He even folded his blankets. I thought maybe he'd gone out to take a walk or something, but all of his stuff is gone. Did he mention anything last night?"

"No," I rubbed my eyes, still waking up. "He must've shadow traveled away." I suddenly felt really sad. He hadn't even said goodbye. I ran through everything that had happened last night, from our drive through Arizona to the moment before we'd gone to sleep. Had I insulted him somehow?

I grabbed my glasses and put them on. Indeed, the blankets on Nico's couch were folded neatly, and there was no sign that he'd left anything behind, not even a note.

"Come on," Darla said. "We'll have breakfast, then we can try to Iris-message him. He might still be close by."

I doubted it. Nico could shadow travel to China in less than a minute. If he wanted to be far away, no doubt he was there already. I'd have to drive back to New Mexico on my own. That really felt depressing.

I ate breakfast with Darla and Mariah, then tried Iris-messaging Nico. There was no response. He either didn't want to talk, or he was somehow out of range, if that was possible. Instead, I called my mom and told her I was on my way home. She asked about Hazel and Nico, and I told her about what had happened these past few weeks. I finished by telling her that Nico was with his father, because really, that's probably where he'd gone. I told her I loved her, then waved my hand through the mist. It was time to go home.

I grabbed my stuff and said goodbye to my friends. They pointed me to the nearest gas station, and Darla packed some brownies for me to eat on the way back.

Soon after I filled up, I was back on the road and heading home. It was still a good four or five hours, but I wanted to do it all in one go. I don't know why I was so upset, but I hated to think that I'd driven Nico away. Of all the people I couldn't stand to hurt, he was at the top of the list.

I turned on my music, blasting it as loud as I could stand, and flew down the highway. The sooner I got back to Santa Fe, the better.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review! Happy fall!<strong>


	6. An old man turns fourteen

**So this is a long chapter, but I'm trying to distract myself from the fact that I made quite a bit of a fool of myself today in class. October is the Wednesday of the semester. **

* * *

><p>After weeks of training with a legion and being under constant threat of monster attacks, going back home felt kind of…dull. It's not that there wasn't anything to do. I had plenty to keep me busy, since we'd just gotten a new boy who was very, very hard to manage. There was always something that needed cleaning, meals that needed cooking, and I was just the guy to do it all.<p>

Mom had hired a new girl, Paige, a Roman daughter of Fortuna, to help look after the kids. She smiled a lot and talked about karma and fortune favoring the brave and stuff, and I made a point to avoid her as much as I could. When all the chores were done and I didn't want to train outside, I'd stay in my bedroom, writing.

Most children of Apollo are good at writing poetry or song lyrics. I had my fair share of dark poems tucked away in the depths of my closet. But I liked writing stories. I liked coming up with different silly or weird situations and writing about them. Most of the time, they were pretty stupid, like a character waking up a thousand years into the future, or another character who discovers that they have dark powers. If I finished my stories, I'd write about two or three different endings, some sad, some happy, just to see which one I liked best.

In the middle of November, I was writing a story about a kid who could resurrect the dead. For some reason, I'd been thinking about Hazel, wondering how she was doing. I hadn't really left the Home in a long time. I was trying to take part in the kids' lives. Paige and I had taken the kids trick-or-treating, and I had attended dance recitals, baseball games, parent-teacher conferences and a number of other assorted child-related activities. Raising kids is a full time job.

I looked at my digital clock, which displayed the date. I saved the story I was working on and shut off my laptop. I grabbed a prism I'd gotten from a gift shop in Manhattan and took it to the window. There was still enough sunlight that when I set it at the window ledge, it created a rainbow across my wall. I took out a golden drachma.

"O Goddess, please accept my offering." I said in a loud, clear voice, throwing the drachma at the rainbow. It disappeared, and the wall started to shimmer. "Show me Nico di Angelo."

Nico was sitting on a large bed in a very plain, very dark bedroom. He looked incredibly bored, and he was throwing a black bouncy ball at the wall, catching it without any effort. I wondered how long he'd been at it.

"Nico," I said, getting his attention.

He turned to look at me, or rather, my image. His eyes widened with surprise, and he came forward. "Jamey!"

"Hey," I replied. I hoped I wasn't giving anything away. "You're not busy are you? I need you to come to my house."

Nico looked slightly worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Just come," I said. "I'll explain everything when you get here."

"Give me a few minutes," Nico said with determination.

The image shimmered and disappeared, and I smiled to myself. I looked back at my bedroom. Everything was laid out accordingly. I had snuck a foldable table and a couple of chairs into the room. On the table, I'd laid out a box of pizza, a 2-liter bottle of coke, the cake I'd baked late last night, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream, along with two objects neatly wrapped in black and gold paper. No one in the house knew I was doing this, and all of them were going out for some sort of Fall Festival, so hopefully we'd be undisturbed tonight.

Five minutes passed, and suddenly a wall of shadow spit Nico out in the middle of the bedroom. He was breathing hard, and his sword was drawn. He looked around wildly for a moment, as if scoping out a threat, when his eyes landed on the table.

"Happy birthday." I said, smiling.

Nico looked confused and bewildered all at once. After a moment, he put his sword down and looked at me. "What?"

"I know you said you really don't remember when it is, and you don't really want to make a big deal out of it. You mentioned that it was around this time. And I have this cousin who was born at home, and his mother didn't get the paperwork done until like a month after, so she forgot what day he was born. So now instead of having one day, the family celebrates different dates every year. So I figured I'd just kind of…pick a day." I looked at him sheepishly. "Is this okay?"

He looked so shocked that I thought he might punch me. After a while, though, he put his sword away. He looked at me, and I saw that his eyes were kind of shining. "You did this for me?"

"Well, yeah," I shrugged. "I just…don't know if you have any sort of traditions. I know you were raised in Italy and all, but the only Italian food I really know how to make is pasta, and that seemed a little–"

I stopped talking when he hugged me. And this was a proper hug. I put my arms around him. Strangely, I was getting used to this.

"No one's ever…" He sounded a little choked. "I didn't even think you'd remember."

"Hey, we're friends right?" I said. "Best friends. We remember that kind of thing. Now come on, you've got to try the green chili pizza."

Nico sat at the table and I connected my laptop to a larger screen that I'd borrowed from one of Kendra's ex-boyfriends so that we could watch Doctor Who. I'm a serious geek in a sorry-not-sorry kind of way, and Nico seemed pretty okay with it. We watched seasons three and four, because David Tennant will forever be my favorite doctor.

I was glad to see that Nico liked the green chili pizza, and he loved the cake. It was a chocolate cake with coffee frosting. I'd drawn a few skulls and written "Happy Birthday Nico" in white cursive. Baking was actually one of my favorite pastimes. I'd learned to decorate cakes from my mom, although she never really had time to do that much nowadays, so it always fell on me to take care of baking for the kids' birthdays. We always tried to keep things homemade.

"Just to be clear," I said. "How old are you?"

"Um, fourteen, I think," Nico said. "I still can't remember what year I was born."

"Well, alright," I handed him the two presents. "Happy maybe fourteenth birthday."

Nico opened the larger package, and he actually smiled. I'd gotten him a few new t-shirts and a new coat. I knew he liked to wear black, but he'd also mentioned that he liked the music I listened to, so I got him a couple of band shirts. One was Bon Iver, and the other was Neutral Milk Hotel. The coat was a long black coat that I'd mostly gotten because it reminded me of Sherlock.

He opened the second package. It was considerably smaller than the first, but it was a little more meaningful. It was a Native American bracelet I'd found at the Santa Fe plaza – a black leather band with an onyx bead in the center, resembling an eye. When I'd asked the vendor about it, she'd said that it was a protection charm of some sort.

Nico put the bracelet on immediately, and it looked pretty good. He looked up at me.

"Thanks," he said. "Really, I…thanks."

"You're welcome." I replied. "I really got you there for a bit, didn't I?"

"I thought you were under attack," Nico said, throwing a chunk of wrapping paper at me. "You scared me."

"It's nice to know you have my back, though," I laughed, reaching into the box for another slice of pizza. "I thought you might not show."

Nico looked down, looking kind of guilty. "Sorry I left that time. I just…"

"I'm sorry, too." I replied. "I know how uncomfortable you must've felt around my friends. They really liked you, though. Actually, Darla kept telling me how cute she thinks you are."

Nico smiled. "She's a little old for me. Perfect for you, though."

"What?" I asked, kind of shocked.

"Well, I noticed you guys were all really comfortable around each other," Nico commented. "You talk to each other about everything."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I want to go out with her," I laughed. "I've known Darla since I was two. She could be my annoying sister if Kendra didn't already fulfill the role so well."

"What about Mariah?"

"She's not as annoying," I admitted.

"No," Nico laughed. "I mean, did you ever think of going out with her?"

"Not really," I shook my head. "You know, for obvious reasons. But also, she started dating this guy William back in high school, and they've been best friends for a long time. It was one of those situations where they were just meant to be together, and eventually they were both brave enough to admit it to each other. They're pretty happy together."

"So you just happen to have two girls as your best friends," Nico said, nodding.

"Don't say it like that," I threw the wad of wrapping paper back at him. "But yes, I'm a highly evolved male who can have a good time with women without wanting to screw them."

"Right," Nico laughed.

Overall, I think we both had a pretty good time. It was nice to just spend time together without having to worry about anything. We watched almost every episode of season three of Doctor Who, and once I explained the plot to him, Nico got really into it. I skipped ahead a little bit to show him Donna, my favorite companion. I know a lot of people prefer Rose or Amy, but seriously, Donna was the only companion in the new series who wasn't obsessed with the Doctor. She had her own thing going, and I really respect that about her. Plus, come on, it's Catherine Tate.

Before either of us knew it, it was almost two in the morning.

"You can stay here, if you want," I said. "If you help me clean this stuff up, that is. Mom doesn't know I did this."

"Yeah," Nico said, helping me pick up some of our trash. After a night of partying and throwing stuff at each other, my room wasn't looking too good. It felt good to have company like this, though. I was really, really tired of having to spend all my time around Paige and my mother and several screaming children. It was nice to not feel like a loser for once.

We snuck downstairs with all of the trash and went outside to dump it in the trash bins. It was freezing out. Another thing that people don't understand about New Mexico is how cold it gets, especially in Santa Fe. I was certain we'd be seeing a few feet of snow this winter.

We finished dumping out the stuff and went back in. Nico helped me move the chairs and table back into the garage. When we got back to my room, I lent Nico a pair of sweat pants and an old Franz Ferdinand shirt and led him to one of the guest rooms. The house was completely quiet except for our footsteps. Hopefully Mom wouldn't feel the need to check this room when she woke up, but I had a feeling that Nico would just come up with some sort of excuse if she did.

"Thanks again, Jamey," Nico whispered before going into the room. "I think this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"I'm glad you liked it," I replied, feeling a little warm. "And…you know you can count on me for anything, right?"

Nico smiled. "I do. Thanks."

He went into the room and closed the door, and I went back to my own. I lay back in my bed and stared out the window for a little while, thinking about what Nico had said earlier that night, about dating Darla or Mariah. It would make sense, given that Aphrodite had said that my very tragic love story would involve a close friend. I didn't have very many of those. The only other one was sleeping in the guest bedroom…

Shit. No need to think about that right now. I turned off my light and closed my eyes.

* * *

><p>Once again, I dreamt that I was falling, slowly and endlessly. I was vaguely aware of my surroundings. The air was hot and sulfurous, and everywhere I looked I was surrounded by darkness. The iron voice in my brain kept repeating the same things: <em>Spread your wings, boy! Spread your wings! They'll help you fly! Fly!<em>

I was doing everything in my power to obey that voice, and none of me seemed rational enough to question it. Now, I knew I didn't have wings. It was pretty obvious, given that anyone I talked to would probably think me crazy if I asked if it looked like I had wings. But that voice was persistent, telling me over and over to spread them.

Finally, I felt something ripping out of my back, blinding me with pain, and my descent slowed.

* * *

><p>"Oh hello, Nico," Mom said, coming downstairs. Walker was stumbling along behind her. "When did you get here?"<p>

"Early this morning," Nico said over his coffee cup. He was wearing his new Bon Iver t-shirt, and his new bracelet. He was sitting at the kitchen table while I churned out pancakes. It wasn't even even eight o'clock and the kids were already going insane. Mom was usually up by five every morning, but it seemed that she'd had a long night and had decided to sleep in for a change. I didn't blame her. Paige was running about trying to get the kids ready for school.

"More!" Tyler, the new kid, was screaming, banging his fork against the table. His face was covered in gooey syrup. "More, more, more, more!"

"What's the magic word, dear?" Mom asked, ruffling the little boy's hair.

"More!" He replied. I rolled my eyes and slipped another pancake onto his plate.

"Close enough," I said.

"Baby," Mom said. "Some discipline might do him good."

"You're the one who told me I was being too rough. It's your job now," I said. "I make the food. And he likes it, don't you buddy?"

"Pancakes!" Tyler yelled, digging in. Nico laughed. Eileen walked into the kitchen dragging the stuffed pig I'd gotten her for her birthday. She was very used to living in the Home by now, but she still wore a constant _I will take none of your shit_ expression. She sat herself next to Nico. She seemed to be the only kid brave enough to do so. She glared quite openly at Tyler. Apparently she wasn't a fan of having her morning interrupted by screaming infants.

"Speaking of cooking," Mom said, lifting Walker onto his high chair. "I need you to help me with Thanksgiving dinner, baby."

"Who's coming?" I asked, putting pancakes on a plate for Walker and Eileen. He giggled when I put them in front of him, while she only glared at her plate.

"Just Marty and Kendra so far."

"I thought Kendra was going to her boyfriend's," I said.

"Oh no she isn't," Mom said with a very final tone. "She is joining her family for Thanksgiving. If she dates this boy for longer than three months, then she can spend a holiday with him. But the count is still only a month and a half, so she's coming here, even if I have to drive down and get her myself."

Nico and I both snorted.

"Oh, and Marty's bringing a friend," Mom added.

"A friend?" I asked. "Like…a girlfriend?"

"I don't know, baby," Mom said. "But we'll have to make plenty of food either way."

"Ugh," I sighed. "Kendra's going to be all cranky, Marty's going to be busy with his 'friend', and I'm going to be all alone."

"Well, baby," Mom was about to give me a lecture. I could practically smell it brewing. It was going to be something about family, and sacrifices, and dealing with things, and– "Why don't you come, Nico?"

"Hm?" Nico looked up. I don't think he was paying much attention to the conversation.

"Are you doing anything for Thanksgiving?" Mom asked. "I know camp always does something special, but maybe you'd like to come and keep Jamey company, since he can't seem to be able to sacrifice a single day to spend time with family." Well, I was somewhat accurate.

Nico looked from me to my mom, a little shocked. "Well, if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not, dear," Mom said. "We'd be delighted to have you. And don't worry; I'll make sure that Kendra and Jamey remain civilized around each other."

Mom walked out of the kitchen.

"I am always civilized. Kendra's the psychopath." I turned off the stove, then looked at Nico. "You're okay with that, then?"

"Yeah," Nico said, putting his plate in the sink and rinsing it. "I've never celebrated Thanksgiving before."

"Oh," I put the batter mixing bowl in the sink. "Well, don't think that all Thanksgiving dinners are quite like ours. We're kind of…unique."

"It'll be nice," Nico said. "Do you need me to help?"

"Mine!" We both turned towards the table. Tyler and Eileen were wrestling over her pig. She was clearly stronger than he was, but the little boy was determined. "Mine, mine, mine, mine!"

"Tyler," I said, prying his hands off the pig. "This is Eileen's. You have your own toys."

Tyler started crying and banging on the table. I sighed and begged for mercy. Normal people would pick up the kid and hug him or something. Eileen hugged the pig to her chest and only glared. She hadn't said a single word, but she loved that pig, and she probably resented that Tyler had touched it with his sticky hands.

"What's going on?" Paige asked, coming into the room. She was a tall, athletic Navajo girl who could probably beat me to the ground without trying.

"Tyler tried to steal Eileen's pig," I said.

"Mine!" Tyler cried, his nose dripping with snot.

"It wouldn't kill her to share it," Paige said, wiping Tyler's face. "Instead of being such a bully. It's bad karma to be so selfish."

Sometimes I couldn't believe the words that came out of this girl's mouth. "Eileen has a right to her property," I said, crossing my arms. "It's her possession, and she can choose whether or not to share it."

Paige stood straight and faced me. "It's a stuffed pig." There was an edge to her tone, and I wondered if she'd actually try to attack me.

"It's all she has." I replied, feeling my insides burn white hot. "It's the only thing in the world that's truly hers. Her mother died when she was three. She's been on her own for six years. Do you even know what that's like for a kid?"

Paige glared at me, then took Tyler's hand. "Come on, Tyler. I'm going to buy you new toys, and you don't have to share them with anybody if you don't want to." She led the little boy out.

"Where did that come from?" Nico asked, sitting down again. Eileen was still clutching the pig to her chest, and she was kind of shaking.

I felt my hands clench into fists. I went to the sink and started doing the dishes, albeit a little violently. Plates and utensils clanged and crashed, and I'm kind of amazed that I didn't break anything.

"This is an orphanage," I said. "We're here to help kids, not play favorites."

"Okay," Nico said carefully. He, Eileen, and Walker were all looking at me with wide eyes, and I calmed down a little.

"Can you put Walker down?" I asked Nico, trying to get the dishes done. "If he fusses, just make a silly face or something."

"Yeah, silly faces aren't really my thing," Nico said, but he went to Walker's high chair anyway. The child thrashed about a little bit, and when Nico set him down, he ran away as quickly as his little legs would carry him. Eileen sat for a little longer, and I looked at her.

"School," I said. "Ten minutes."

She looked at me and shook her head.

"Yes," I said. "It's Friday. One day till the weekend. It won't kill you."

Eileen looked down and sighed. She got off her chair and went upstairs to get her stuff. I looked back at the sink and worked in silence for a little while.

"Even after all that, you still want to spend Thanksgiving with us?" I asked humorlessly.

"If only to keep you from tearing everybody apart," Nico said. "Yeah, I think I could enjoy myself."

I looked at him, and he smiled innocently. Damn him. He was pretty good at making me feel better. I sighed and finished filling the dishwasher, then closed the latch and turned it on.

"Well, now you know what every day is like for me." I said. "Get up, cook, clean, bitch at the live-in help, clean some more, and try not to lose my temper."

"Why do you stay if you hate it so much?"

"I don't hate it." I said. I heard the sound of the van being turned on. "Hold on."

The school-aged kids were starting to come downstairs, so I grabbed a sharpie and went to the lunch bags I'd put together earlier. I wrote each kid's name on the bag and put it on the table. One by one, the kids came by the kitchen, took their lunch bag, and went out the door. Eileen was last, and although I could see her pig poking its head out of her backpack, she looked as angry and apprehensive as ever.

"Have a good day," I told her. She only glanced at me and left.

I listened for the sound of the van pulling away, and the house was once again silent. Paige drove the kids to school nowadays, so only Walker, Nico, my mom, and I remained in the house.

"Anyway, I don't hate it," I repeated, pouring myself more coffee and drowning it with milk and sugar. "It's just…difficult for me." I went to sit next to him at the table.

"Seems like you do a lot, though," Nico said. "And no one really helps you out."

"Well, most of the kids are scared of me," I said, stirring my coffee. "And I really don't know how to relate to any of them. Paige thinks I'm an idiot. And Mom's busy trying to keep everything running smoothly. The only people here who really tolerate me are Eileen and my cat."

"They seem to appreciate your cooking," Nico said with a smile.

"At a distance," I said. I sighed. "I don't know what to do."

Nico shrugged. "Get a job? Buy your own place?"

"This is my job."

"You're not getting paid."

"Room and board, dude," I said, taking a sip of my coffee. "It's the best deal I'm going to get unless I go back to camp. Plus, what kind of employer would hire a depressed, anxious, ADHD, dyslexic, suicidal maniac?"

Nico considered this. "You're not a maniac. And you have good skills. You could be a park ranger. Or a cop. You could do something music related."

I put my head on the table. "I'd have to take classes for that kind of thing. And it's not like I really have the money for any of that. Maybe I'll just become a hippy and hitchhike my way across America."

"And risk constant monster attacks," Nico nodded, although his tone suggested that he didn't approve.

"I don't want to work, though." I said. I took a long sip from my coffee. "I'm basically stuck here until…well, indefinitely."

"What about writing?"

"What about it?"

"You said you liked to write," Nico volunteered. "Maybe you could try being a journalist or something."

I smiled at him. "I'd have to find some pretty dark topics to write about."

Nico smiled. "You'd be great at an advice column."

Both of us laughed at that idea. Mom came into the kitchen again with her laptop, her calendar, and a pen and notepad.

"Baby," she said, sitting down at the table. "Can you run some errands for me?"

"As always, Mom: yes, I'll run some errands."

"Good," she smiled at me, then handed me a list. "Are you staying tonight, Nico?"

"If it's alright," Nico said. "I'm leaving tomorrow to visit Hazel."

"Then get something fun for dinner, Jamey." Mom said. "And some dessert, too."

"Can I run by Walmart and get blank CDs?" I asked. "I'm out."

"As long as you're home in time to drive the twins to dance class and Erik to soccer. Paige is taking the rest of the day off."

I sighed, which wasn't a good move. My mom hates it when I complain. She gave me one of her Looks, and a lecture was sure to follow, but I tapped Nico on the arm and got up.

"Shall we, then? Bye Mom, love you." I said quickly, grabbing the keys and running up to get my wallet.

"Bye, Ms. Sawyer, thanks for letting me stay." Nico called down as he followed me up the stairs. When we got back down, Mom was focusing on her laptop, and she'd left the debit card on the table next to her. I snatched it as quickly as I could and grabbed my coat. Nico and I got into the car and drove off.

"Your mom kind of scares me," Nico admitted. He was wearing the coat I'd gotten for his birthday.

"You have no idea." I handed him the list. "What's first?"

"Something about water filters and cat food."

"Target it is."

* * *

><p>"Do you think this'll be enough?"<p>

Nico stared at the spread with wide eyes, then turned to me. "What, you were thinking of making more?"

I looked at my table critically. The dining room table was set with a white table cloth, and numerous dishes ranging from mashed potatoes to deviled eggs covered almost all available space except for the center, where the turkey would go. It was almost done cooking. There were a couple of pies and a pumpkin cheesecake in the fridge. Mom and I had been working almost all week to put this dinner together, and still, I felt it was missing something.

"Damn, I still have to make the gravy," I looked at the clock in the kitchen. Marty and his friend would be here any moment, and we'd agreed to start dinner exactly at six. I checked the turkey and finally decided it was ready. I transferred it to the serving plate, then used the juices to make a thick gravy.

"Gods, I hope this is enough." I said, placing the turkey in the middle of the table.

"I'm sure it will be," Nico said. "You've cooked enough food to supply an entire army."

"Oh baby, it's perfect," Mom said, coming into the dining room. "Now run upstairs and get changed. You're not greeting Marty's guest looking like you just lost a fight to a bag of flour. Why don't you wear that nice blue shirt you wore for your cousin's wedding? And Nico, there's some good clothes in the closet next to the guest room. I want both of you to wear ties. Off you go, then."

Mom never really cared what I wore unless people were coming over, which wasn't often, because most people who actually came to the house were demigods looking for shelter. But this was obviously important to her, because she had even chosen to wear a nice blouse and white pants, and she was making sure the children were well-dressed as well.

I ran to the bathroom and scrubbed the bits of flour and turkey juice off any visible skin, then ran back to my room to find something suitable. Pants were no problem, but the shirt my mother had requested made me look like a scrawny Easter egg. I'd only agreed to wear it to my cousin's wedding because I was one of his ushers and all of the guys had to dress alike.

I put on a gray button-down which made me look just a little less dorky than all of the other ones. I resented that I had to wear a tie, since I only owned two and they were both painfully patterned. I chose the least offensive of the two – light blue with dark blue stripes running along it – and put it on.

There was a knock at the door.

"Coming," I said. I slipped on my dress shoes and opened the door. Nico stood on the other side, his hands stuffed in his pants pockets. He'd chosen a black button-down with a red tie. That combined with his pale complexion and messy black hair reminded me of Billie Joe Armstrong. I refrained from pointing that out.

"Kendra!" Mom called from downstairs. "Are you ready?"

There was no response. Kendra had arrived early that morning, and although she'd acted chipper and happy around the kids, I could tell she was upset. She obviously hated having to say no to spending the holiday with her newest boy toy.

"Jamey, get your sister," Mom called up, and I sighed. I went to Kendra's door, knocking gently so as not to upset the beast.

"Kendra, Mom says to come downstairs."

"Go away."

I rolled my eyes. "I made your favorite pie, and we have sweet potatoes. You love sweet potatoes."

"Go to hell."

"Okay," I looked at Nico. "I'll leave this to Mom."

We walked downstairs. The kids were already at the table, and they were itching to start eating. Tyler was trying to snatch a buttered roll while nobody looked. Paige was spending the holiday with her own family, so really nobody was watching the kids.

"Now everybody listen," Mom said. "Almost all of us know Marty, and we know that he's a demigod, but his guest is not. As far as I understand the situation, Marty's friend is a mortal who he met in school. Therefore, we will avoid talking about anything magical or godly, and we will not mention the subjects of camp, weapons, monsters, or anything of the sort. This is a normal foster home, and we are all normal people, understood?"

"What if somebody slips up?" Maddie asked.

"Blame it on Mythomagic," I said. "That's a pretty popular game among mortals."

Right then, the doorbell rang. Mom made sure that we all looked our best, then ran to open it. There was a sound of delight, hellos being exchanged, and I was kind of surprised that the only female voice I heard was my mother's. She led them into the dining room. Marty walked in wearing a dark green button down, his hair now only blonde at the tips, revealing his natural light brown. Following him was a very tall young man with cropped brown hair, a thin mustache, and a pleasant smile on his face.

"I'm so glad you two could make it." Mom was saying. "Won't your parents miss you, Benny?"

"Well, Dad's working overseas and Mom decided to visit family in Montana." The tall boy replied.

"We're very pleased to have you here." Mom turned to look at us. "Everybody, this is Benny, Marty's–"

"Boyfriend," Marty said, taking Benny's hand. Benny smiled widely.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said.

I looked from Marty to Benny, a little confused. Well, I guess I'd never actually known Marty's sexual orientation, because he'd never really been with anybody in the time that I'd known him. Looking back on it, though, it kind of made sense. Unlike other guys I knew, Marty never really stopped to comment about how hot some passing chick was. I guess I just figured he was respectful. Turns out he had other things on his mind.

Most of the kids just waved and said hi. Maddie and the two older boys looked like this was the weirdest thing they'd ever seen, but they didn't comment. I looked at Nico to see his reaction. He was raised in the early twentieth century. No doubt the message being sent out in those days was that it was bad to be gay. At this point, though, his expression was completely unreadable.

"Well, why don't we get started?" Mom said, sitting at the head of the table. Marty and Benny took the seats across from Nico and me. There was an empty spot for Kendra.

"I thought Kendra was here." Marty said, helping Mom and serve the kids.

"She's sulking in her room," Mom said.

"I'm right here."

Kendra walked in, and I almost could've slapped her. She completely overdid it. She was wearing the tightest red dress I had ever seen on anybody, and her black hair was swept about her so that she resembled that one actress from My Cousin Vinny. Her makeup was, of course, perfect, and she strutted into the room like Aphrodite herself in a pair of high red heels. She smiled at Benny, holding her hand out to him.

"Kendra Sawyer," she said in a voice bordering on sultry. What had gotten into her? "Pleasure to meet you."

"Benjamin Bates," Benny said, oblivious.

Kendra took her seat next to me and I resisted the urge to kick her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Kendra said, beginning to serve herself sweet potatoes. "I was busy getting ready."

"You could've said so," I said quietly. "Instead of condemning me to burn in hell."

She glared at me only briefly before returning her attention to Benny, wearing the perfect, sunny smile I'd seen her use on about a hundred different guys. I wondered if she'd heard the bit about him dating Marty, because if she hadn't, she needed to hear it soon. And anyway, she'd been upset all day about her so-called boyfriend.

"Is your sister flirting with him?" Nico whispered to me as we both ate in an observing silence.

"I don't think she knows who she's dealing with."

"I thought she had a boyfriend."

"Yeah, that doesn't really mean much to her."

"The food is really delicious," Benny said conversationally.

"I'm glad you like it," Mom said. "I had to leave most of it up to Jamey this year. Usually I'm able to do it all, but it's been so busy with all the kids, and Jamey's an excellent cook."

"I'll say," Benny turned to smile at me. "You made this all yourself?"

"M-most of it," I said. "Mom made the cheesecake. I'm still trying to get a hang of it."

"Wow," Benny said. "Have you ever thought of becoming a chef? You'd be pretty good at it."

"He is good, isn't he?" Kendra asked. "Jamey was always good at picking up on that kind of thing."

I knew she wasn't saying that for my sake. She was just trying to be part of the conversation.

"Are you in school?" Benny asked me.

"No," I said. "I haven't decided if I want to go or not. I work here."

"Well, Boston has some great culinary schools, right Marty?"

"Oh yeah," Marty said, reaching over to wipe Tyler's face. It was covered in cranberry sauce. "I don't know if they have a program at Brandeis, but you can't throw a rock in Boston without hitting a university."

"What do you study, Benny?" Mom asked.

"Photography," Benny said. "It's how I met Marty."

"Really?" Mom smiled.

"Yeah, we both ended up in the same introductory class." Benny said. "We started out as partners. We're actually doing a bit of a shoot while we're out here. I've always loved the lighting in the desert."

"Will you need models?" Kendra asked.

"Oh no," Marty said. "Benny focuses on landscape shots. All of the natural stuff."

Ah, I could see why Marty liked him. Being a son of Demeter, Marty loved nature and just about everything in it.

We managed to get through dinner without any noticeable mishaps. In the transition between dinner and dessert, though, Marty gave Benny a peck on the lips. Of course the kids though it was gross, but I looked at Kendra to see her reaction. She didn't seem fazed at all, so she'd either been aware of the relationship, or she was just really good at hiding her surprise.

I helped my mom cut the pies and cake and we ate dessert while sharing the things we were thankful for. Most people usually do this at the beginning of the meal, but Mom felt that with so many young kids, it would be easier to just feed them and then talk.

Mom started by saying she was thankful for family, for the roof over our heads, for good income, for love, and for the gods. I'm sure Benny took this to mean gods in general, but in previous years Mom had always referenced Apollo specifically, since it was thanks to him that the Home had worked out for so long.

Marty said he was thankful for new opportunities. Benny said he was thankful for life coincidences. The kids all came up with things like food, and cake, and football, and Mythomagic for their things. Nobody even understood what Walker was trying to say. I was surprised when Eileen's turn came and she managed to say "I'm thankful for my pig."

"I'm thankful for love, family, school, and my boyfriend," Kendra said. "Who unfortunately I won't get to see until next week." Whether that was a lament or an invitation was anybody's guess.

I cleared my throat. "I'm thankful for my family, my home, my job," I glanced at Nico. "And my best friend."

Nico's turn finally came and he looked a little nervous speaking in front of everybody, but he toughed it out. "I'm thankful for Jamey, because he's always looked after me no matter what."

My mom smiled widely at this, and Benny held up his glass of sparkling cider. "I think that deserves a toast."

"Cheers," Mom said, and we all clinked our glasses. The kids finished eating and ran off to do something or other. Mom and the other "adults" stayed behind to talk, so Nico and I started cleaning up.

"I think you have a lot to be grateful for," I said, putting leftovers into plastic containers. "Not just me."

"I didn't embarrass you or anything, did I?"

"Nah," I said. "It made me feel good."

"Plus, I had to say it," Nico said. "You called me your best friend in front of everybody."

"That's because you are my best friend." I put the containers in the fridge and looked at my pile of dishes. With a full stomach and my eyes starting to droop, I did not feel like battling dirty dishes.

"Gods," I sighed. "My sister was terrible, wasn't she?"

"She's very…I don't know, pronounced?" Nico let the word hang in the air for a bit. "Yeah, let's go with that."

"She's a slut," I whispered, half to Nico and half to myself. "Even after the guys kissed she was still after him. By the way, you weren't…you know, uncomfortable with that, were you? I mean, I know you were raised in the thirties and all, so it must be kind of weird for you."

Instead of answering me directly, Nico asked: "Have you met a lot of guys like that?"

"Yeah," I said. "Girls too. It's kind of a common thing nowadays. Most people don't even question it. Doesn't mean it's not a hard life, though. I've met my fair share of conservative nuts who keep blaming everything bad on gay people. And there's all that political nonsense about allowing them to marry."

"What do you think?"

"That it's really none of anybody's business who people want to marry," I said. "It's like being born a demigod. You don't choose that life, it's just part of who you are. Sorry if I'm treading on your beliefs or anything, but it'd really be nice if people would just deal with it and stop trying to ruin other people's lives."

"You're not treading on anything," Nico said, leaning against the counter. "I don't see anything wrong with it, either."

I looked at him. He was looking down, as if lost in thought. I feel like it took him a little effort to say that last bit, but it was probably just because of when he was raised. At least he wasn't outwardly protesting it.

I risked speaking up again. "They seem really happy together, though."

"Yeah," Nico agreed.

Kendra walked into the kitchen, looking just a little bit more sour than usual.

"Don't forget to do dishes," she snapped, tossing her own dessert plate into the sink. "Mom's going to bed soon, so try to be quick about it."

"Hello Kendra, dearest sister," I replied, crossing my arms. "What's that you were saying? Oh, you have a favor to ask? Well, I'm so glad you could ask in such a kind and understanding fashion. Do you need help prying that dress off you while we're at it? You look a bit constricted."

"Go to hell." Kendra muttered, walking out of the kitchen.

"I thought you guys were going to try to get along." Nico said.

"Do I get on you about Hazel?"

"Hazel's never told me to go to hell."

I started the dishes, yawning. "You've had better experience in the sister department. Kendra's made it her job to make me feel like shit since she could talk."

"Do you guys ever get along?"

"Um," I leaned against the sink, thinking. "When I was born, she gave me a duck."

"A duck."

"Yeah, a little rubber duck. She took it out of her closet and tried to give it to me, but I guess newborns aren't all that interested in that kind of thing. Maybe she got insulted when I didn't take it."

"Touchy."

"I'm going to bed, baby," Mom said, coming into the kitchen. "You don't have to do dishes now. You can leave them until tomorrow."

"Everyone's staying the night," I said. "I'd rather go to bed with a clean kitchen and make breakfast an easy ordeal. Well, easier."

"You're such a good boy," Mom said, kissing my temple. I tried to ignore the feeling. "And thanks for dinner. It was wonderful."

"No problem," I said.

"Good night, Nico," Mom said, kissing him as well. "And it was lovely what you said about Jamey. He's so lucky to have you."

Mom went upstairs and we were left alone. The house felt unusually full. There'd be lots of food to cook for the next few days. Behind me, Nico yawned.

"You can go up if you want," I said. "I'll take care of things down here."

"No, I'll help clear the table." Nico said. "They work you like a mule. You deserve a day off."

"I can leave whenever I want, remember? I just choose to stay."

Nico brought all of the extra dishes from the dining room, then pulled off the table cloth, which at this point was covered in crumbs, stains, Tyler's spit, and any number of foreign particles that had managed to make their way to the table. He put it in the laundry room, and eventually somebody would get around to washing it.

I finished the last of the dishes and Nico and I collapsed on the couch.

"That was a success," Nico said.

"If by success you mean that I managed not to tear anybody apart," I replied. "Even though I wanted to."

"It'll get better," Nico said. "You're sister's not staying for long, is she?"

"She drives back to her school in two days. And Marty and Benny are only staying until Sunday night."

"You'll be fine, then."


End file.
